Those who have been following me for a while know that I have been talking about Royal Blood since before the release of their debut album (2014).
After two other albums – Typhoons came out last year, the basis of this tour – I was finally able to see them live last night at the O2 Arena in Greenwich, with The Amazons supporting them.
And when one thinks that a large stadium like this can be too big for a duo with just a bass (Mike Kerr, also vocals and piano on one song) and drums (Ben Thatcher)… think again: Royal Blood is an orchestra of two -in some songs accompanied by a guest keyboardist (Darren James)- and they generate an infernal excitement. The use of THAT bass («those» basses because it seems that he changes one in every song) with the full use of various effects with pedals and amps that makes it sound like guitar and bass at the same time is simply exceptional and in such a bare set as a duo, it could be very easy to find mistakes in full swing, that’s it if you don’t get distracted by the drummer. Thatcher is the closest thing to -sorry purists- the Bonzo of Led Zepp that you can find (I said the closest thing, not that it is «the same», stop insulting). And that makes the chemistry between the two generate a bombastic effect in each song, and the video of ‘Figure It Out’ is a good example.
In short: if you are lucky enough to come across them, put on a helmet and bulletproof vest and go see them because they are in a great moment, one of those that make -if they play their next move well- that a band is about to begin to define itself like classic.