There’s something really special about Royal Blood. Formed just last year in the English seaside town of Brighton, the band are now supporting Arctic Monkeys and playing big slots at UK festivals.
It’s been a fast ride for the garage rockers, who – you wouldn’t believe it – are just a duo. With Ben Thatcher on drums and Mike Kerr covering bass guitar and the most captivating vocals you ever did hear, you honestly couldn’t pick them from a four- or five-piece band.
Speaking to drummer Thatcher from his home in Brighton the week before the duo headed out to Australia to play three shows, he admits it’s been a bit of a whirlwind.
“We’d both been in a lot of bands previously, but none of them ever got anywhere, so we just did this after Mike had done some travelling. It was always just two mates having fun, and then…apparently we made some alright songs!” he giggles.
The hype around Royal Blood started when (Arctic Monkeys drummer) Matt Helders asked the boys if he could wear their shirt at Glastonbury – but they hadn’t even released any music, let alone merchandise!
“We’re signed to the same management as them, and we were recording at the time, so I guess he heard some of the songs as we were recording. He asked our manager if we had a shirt he could wear – obviously we didn’t, so we kind of just made one in 24 hours,” Thatcher laughs.
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He’s incredibly open and easy to talk to; even asking for flying tips for the notoriously horrendous flight from London to Melbourne (when they offer alcohol, always say yes). A conversation with Thatcher feels like a phonecall to a friend – a total switch from the completely focused, intense musician who appeared onstage at the band’s debut Australian show, a sold out Corner Hotel with well-picked support from Ballarat’s APES.
Though playing live must be a constant struggle to demonstrate a sound that surpasses their size, the duo could fill an arena with that sound, no questions asked.
Despite playing a 45-minute set that had been advertised as an hour, the boys’ stamina is amazing – stopping only once or twice for a few seconds of banter, but evidently just so focused on the music, which translates immeasurably well to a live setting. It’s honestly almost impossible to pick it apart from the recorded version.
Particularly notable are Kerr’s vocals, which are stoic and strong to match the instrumentation, but the end of his more sustained notes shows a beautiful delicacy and airiness that is like nothing else. They give the heavier garage rock sound a fascinating and enthralling softness that is a small but significant detail.
It’s those nuances, as well as the unique combination of being a duo without a rhythm guitar, that make them so fascinating to watch as they grow. Oh, and he’s definitely got the whole ‘rugged-suave rockstar’ look down pat early on in the game; which is absolutely imperative to rock n roll sucess, I hear.
“You learn something from every band, you know,” Thatcher muses, thinking about the huge number of high-profile support slots Royal Blood have scored this year.
“There are so many up and coming UK bands who are all doing so much, and it’s so great to keep playing with them and seeing them at festivals, and see what they do.”
For their first trip Down Under, Thatcher had some…interesting…ideas of which aspects of Australia he was keen to see – forget the landmarks.
“Probably, like, a deadly snake? If you could sneak one of those into our flight case and scare a roadie, that would be pretty interesting.”
“Actually,” he says after a moment’s pause, “make it a snake that can’t actually kill you but just looks really menacing. That’s probably better.”
With their EP Out Of The Black released in March and a début album coming soon after, “probably late August,” according to Thatcher, perhaps his listening habits of late can give us some insight on the sound of the new material.
“I’ve been listening to the weirdest mix of stuff. Literally, it’s SO stupid. Everything from Mariah Carey to the new Jack White stuff…you wouldn’t believe that!”
So is the LP going to be a combination of just that; Carey-esque material mixed with Jack White?
“Look, I don’t know…but maybe I should really be pushing for it! You know, there could be a collaboration somewhere down the line!” Thatcher laughs again.
The band’s debut album is set for release later this year, but for now you can get their EP Out Of The Black locally via Warner.
