UK legends Royal Blood have dominated the British music scene since their debut self-titled album made waves in 2014, earning a multitude of industry awards while retaining their identity as a true blues-rock band.
Emerging from the seaside city of Brighton, Royal Blood's rise to global fame was swift, but certainly not by the books. Drummer Ben Thatcher's musical origins lie within the church – a definite contrast to the head spinning blues-rock that he's become known for."My father led a church of about 500 people, and he encouraged me to play in the church band – it made going bearable for me, and every week I was playing to hundreds of people, I really cut my teeth there."
With music influences from the likes of Queens Of The Stone Age, Nirvana and Foo Fighters with a twist of classic rock, Royal Blood infused the UK scene with a jolt of energy and individuality – but not before laying down tracks in Australia first.
Vocalist-bassist Mike Kerr formed the band in 2011, and amongst some line-up shuffles headed to Brisbane, where they played gigs around the area and premiered a primitive version of 'Come On Over' on triple j – an experience that Ben described as tethering their music to the Aussie scene.
"We have a real connection with Australia from that time, and our early songs were played very quickly over there because of it," he says.
The dirty blues of Royal Blood's self-titled record topped charts globally and smashed UK records as the fastest selling debut rock album in years. With each subsequent record they've released, the duo have pushed themselves to expand their sonic horizons.
"You never know how your first album is going to go down, and ours just blew up – we were like 'What's happened to our band?'" Ben explains. "There's so much pressure to follow it up with something similar but different, and we had to look at what we were doing well and see what we could change."
Latest studio album 'Back To The Water Below' drove the band in a new direction entirely – sophisticated, moving, and punchy, this record calls to their true roots back before the world knew them. "Mike's first instrument was actually the piano, so when he's writing that's what he starts with," Ben says.
"Usually, we'll then take those ideas and 'Royal Blood them up' – he'll switch to bass, and we start making riffs. With the new record, we thought that original sound was a cool departure from what we usually do, but not in a way that sounds unlike us. Nobody really wants to hear the same thing over and over."
This record was also entirely self-produced, a process to which Ben credited its authenticity. "We had all the control that we wanted, and it made everything more fun and relaxed.
"We're also lucky enough to have our own studio in Brighton – normally when you record, you temporarily rent a place, and you're having to work against the clock, but we had the luxury of working on this one at the rate of inspiration."
One result of these changes, Ben says, was the alteration of their live show. "We're a live band really – we record because we want to to perform these songs.
"Some [new] tracks like 'Pull Me Through' and 'Mountains At Midnight' just slipped right into the set, and it was like we'd been playing them for years, but a lot of them took work and have freshened up our gigs.
"Having four albums out has been helpful when we're building the set, because we're able to pull from our different styles and bring different dynamics to the stage."
Royal Blood are bringing their new set to Australia next month with a national tour, and anticipation for their return is already building: brand new festival Changing Tides in the NSW town of Kiama has nearly sold out its first year event following the line-up release.
"It's been five years since we've been in Australia, and we have some amazing memories of gigs we've played there. Mike and I communicate through humour, and Australians get that – we fit in well and always have fun," Ben says.
"Australia's got great people, great food and great beaches, it's just a good time. We can't wait to be back."
It didn't take long before Ben got to the really important stuff. "I'm a massive fan of Christmas, I love everything about it. I've never done it in a warm country – I'm concerned about the heat, but as long as there's a Christmas spirit in those audiences, I'll be fine."
With support from Aussie heroes Psychedelic Porn Crumpets (on Royal Blood's headline shows), Royal Blood's December gigs definitely won't be lacking in spirit.
"We know the Porn Crumpet boys well, they're wild – they reflect a little bit of us," Ben says. "It was a no-brainer to bring them. We always take on bands that we love, and that put on a great show."
With such a successful career backing them, Royal Blood are free to continue pushing their style whichever way takes their fancy, but Ben's aforementioned sense of humour ensures their future remains mysterious.
"We'll probably play some of our songs. I don't know what to expect from us, I ask myself that constantly. Expect the unexpected, and the expected – then you won't be disappointed."
Royal Blood have festival appearances at Let The Good Times Roll (Central Coast) 10 December and Changing Tides Festival (Illawarra) 17 December.
Royal Blood 2023 Tour Dates
Mon 11 Dec - The Riverstage (Brisbane)Wed 13 Dec - Hordern Pavilion (Sydney)
Fri 15 Dec - Festival Hall (Melbourne)
Tue 19 Dec - Hindley Street Music Hall (Adelaide)
Thu 21 Dec - HBF Stadium (Perth)
Let The Good Times Roll Festival Line-Up
Royal BloodGrinspoon
Skegss
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets
Bad//Dreems
The Buoys
Tiali
SIX60
The Cat Empire
The Bamboos
Coterie
Little Quirks
Gang Of Brothers
Changing Tides Festival 2023 Line-Up
Royal BloodSpacey Jane
Dune Rats
G Flip
Peking Duk
PNAU
The Temper Trap
Ziggy Alberts
The Jungle Giants
Sycco
Kita Alexander
Dulcie
The Moving Stills
Leisure
Jack Botts
merci, mercy
Jacotene
Felipe Baldomir
