Royal Blood
April 13, 2015
Fonda Theater- Los Angeles, CA
Fresh off from Coachella Festival, the English rock duo Royal Blood were set to hit the stage to a SOLD OUT Los Angeles crowd on Monday, April 13. Mike Kerr on vocals/bass and Ben Thatcher on drums have only been around as Royal Blood since 2013 but have made a huge impact on the rock scene in their home country of England and the US equally. Their one and only album, Royal Blood, which was released in August of 2014 had 5 singles which peaked on UK, US and Canada rock charts alike. There was a lot of hype for this band and a lot of anticipation as the show had been sold out for weeks; so when the clock finally struck 10, it was finally time to see what these guys were all about.
Royal Blood’s short 12 song set began with a intro song and flashing strobe lights as the duo came out on stage. They each stood at the edge of the stage with serious demeanors, staring into the sea of people who cheered in excitement. They went to their respected instruments and began their set with the hard hitting, Hole that had the crowd head banging along to. The set continued with fan favorites Figure it Out, Little Monster and Come On Over. Strobes continued as they performed and occasionally there would be bursts of bright lights to add to the performance. Kerr would constantly go over to Thatcher on drums, which would always put the crowd in a frenzy.
The band didn’t do much talking throughout the night and aside from a few thank you’s they mostly left the talking to the music. Nearing the end of show however, Kerr pointed to the balcony on the top and noted that “Everyone down here is standing… and everyone up there is sitting,” The crowd on the floor cheered as he continued, “These are just facts. There are two facts. Fact 1 is that everyone down here is standing and fact 2, everyone up there isn’t- oh wait, no, I’m mistaken, I’m sorry!” He said as everyone in the balcony stood up. Thatcher and Kerr smiled at the obedient crowd who clearly got the hint. Kerr went on to point out two people in the crowd who have been standing next to each other the whole night but haven’t kissed yet. “It’s so obvious that you both want to, so just fucking do it!” He encouraged the strangers as Thatcher laughed.
The band went on to perform several more songs including Loose Change and the set ender Out of the Black which ended with a grand display and delivery from the duo. They extended the song and once everyone though the song was over, Thatcher went over to the end of the stage, threw his drum sticks out while Kerr held his arms out, lifting them up, encouraging more and more cheers. Thatcher stood on the barricade, holding onto the fans, who tried to pull him in. Thatcher made his way to the other side of the crowd where he crowd surfed for several seconds before returning to the stage. Kerr with his bass in hand and Thatcher with his sticks in his, went on to continue the song from the halfway point that they left off from and the crowd went crazy, having the night’s first crowd surfers come out of the black-pun intended. Kerr went onto Thatcher’s drums and took a stick from his hand as they duo ended the song hitting the cymbals as hard as they could, to a crowd that got louder and louder with each hit.
Some band’s are overly hyped up and really don’t deserve all the attention that they receive. Royal Blood however is not one of those band’s. They delivered both musically and production wise. Their showmanship and their expertise of their instruments really shined through. With just two people, Royal Blood can do what a band of 6 people can do, and do it better. If Royal Blood is coming to your city too, do yourself a favor and check these guys out, because sooner or later (probably sooner than later), these guys will be selling out arenas.
Review by: Nicole Lemberg
