Royal Blood
“I went to hear them (Royal Blood) in New York. They were fantastic,” stated Led Zeppelin legend Jimmy Page. “Absolutely riveting, they’re such fine musicians. Their album has taken the genre up a serious few notches. They play with the spirit of the things that have preceded them, but you can
hear they’re going to take Rock into a new realm.” That was a whole lotta love for the British duo.
Within months of forming in Worthing, England, bassist/vocalist Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher released their Blues/Garage Rock influenced debut single, “Out Of The Black.” Ear-catching was Kerr’s bass that sounded more like a four-string guitar.
Following the release of their second single, “Little Monster,” Royal Blood unfurled their self-titled debut album. The Official Charts Company said it was the U.K.’s fastest-selling British Rock debut album in three years.
The album also went gold in the U.K. selling over 150,000 copies.
Then it was off to North America where Page ran across them. There was also an appearance at South By Southwest (SXSW) in Austin.
At the ’15 BRIT Awards Royal Blood performed “Figure It Out” and were given the Best British Group honor. It was presented to them by none other than Jimmy Page.
Even for a band on a steep upward trajectory dabbling in political commentary can be dicey.
The Canadian band Nickelback, though hugely popular, seemed to attract more than its fair share of cheap shots. During the ’16 Presidential campaign Royal Blood decided to pile on.
Following the televised debate between candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, Royal Blood tweeted “Donald Trump + Hilary Clinton = Nickelback.” Nickelback responded with “Nickelback jokes are like Royal Blood – they were a lot cooler a couple of years ago. Don’t drink and tweet fellas. Stay
safe.”
With the election out of the way, Royal Blood presented their ‘17 sophomore set “How Did We Get So Dark?” The album debuted at #1 in the U.K. and was followed by another U.S. headlining tour.
Returning from the North American trek Kerr and Thatcher presented Jimmy Page with the Icon Award at the Kerrang! Awards.
The band announced they had begun recording their third studio album but it was delayed due to the COVID pandemic.
But in 2020, they released “Trouble’s Coming,” the first single from their third studio album “Typhoons.” The title track was the second single.
Royal Blood also contributed a cover of the Metallica song “Sad But True” to the charity tribute album “The Metallica Blacklist.”
The band’s fourth album “Back To The Water Below’ dropped in ’23.
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