What if they threw a band party and only the rhythm section showed up?
That’s the oddly conceived question that has been answered by vocalist/bassist Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher, doing business as the Garage/Psych/Blues duo Royal Blood. It’s an interesting spin on the guitar/drum concept that has taken hold in recent years, as Kerr brings the bass into the lead role with the force of what Alice Cooper once characterized as a “Heavy Metal elephant gun.”
Coming off like the Rock & Roll bruise created by The Black Keys and Blue Cheer, Royal Blood has only been around for two years, and only half of that time in its current incarnation. Kerr originally put the band together in Brighton, England, with Australian drummer Matthew Swan. But, last year, Swan departed and was replaced with Thatcher, which is coincidentally when things started blowing up for Royal Blood.
Last summer, the twosome scored a plum gig at the legendary Glastonbury Festival, which was further sweetened by a vote of confidence from Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders, who was rolling around Glastonbury’s grounds sporting a Royal Blood T-shirt. A month after dropping their debut single, “Out of the Black” late last year, the duo was put on the BBC’s “Sound of 2014” longlist, which honors the best music of the year.
Earlier this year, Royal Blood released its second single, “Little Monster” (both singles topped the British charts), the twosome performed a rousing set at SXSW and a series of other festivals in rapid succession (including a triumphant return to Glastonbury) and the band opened a pair of Arctic Monkeys shows. Just before the SXSW gig, Royal Blood released its first North American EP, the four-track Out of the Black, in advance of its self-titled full-length debut, slated for late next month.
Royal Blood’s Cincinnati visit is only one of 11 American tour dates, (and one of those, Chicago’s Lollapalooza, is sold out). Don’t miss what could be everyone’s sound of 2014.
ROYAL BLOOD with
VALLEY OF THE SUN play Taft Theatre Saturday, July 26 at 8:30 p.m. Tickets/more info
here :
This article appears in Jul 16-22, 2014.
