When he started the Reytons in Rotherham in 2017, singer Jonny Yerrell wrote the song On the Back Burner about his dashed ambitions on the South Yorkshire open mic scene. “I can vividly remember the point in my life when I wrote that,” he says now. “I wouldn’t have even been able to afford a pint at the open mic that week.”
Six years on, Yerrell admits “life is very different”. After the Reytons’ 2021 debut, Kids Off the Estate, reached No 11, their second album What’s Rock and Roll? went in at No 1 last month – and they play the 13,500-capacity Sheffield Arena this summer. The wordy, tuneful Arctic Monkeys-style quartet are among several northern, indie, generally male guitar types who are achieving very high initial chart positions thanks largely to devoted regional fanbases.
