Blood Brothers

While Tom Morello has had a bit of a hard time with it all lately, what with Pancakegate and everything, he has had time to share some keen words with his Twitter audience. “I have heard the future of riff rock, and it’s called Royal Blood,” the hat-loving guitarist shared. 

It’s a strong endorsement, but not a surprising one given the huge amount of attention being paid to these two lads from Worthing, UK, at the moment. It’s only been a couple of months since the release of their self-titled debut album – their first real test on the international stage – and they’re already being regarded as the saviours of modern British rock. That’s a hell of a claim to live up to, but as anyone who’s talked to the duo can attest, they’ve probably got the ability.

“It’s great mate, yeah, couldn’t be better,” Mike Kerr reckons confidently in his thick Sussex accent. “We’re just having the best time with everything at the moment. We’re right in the middle of touring at the moment and it’s just all going on.” 

We see more and more bands getting thrown into the blinding international musical spotlight every year, and how those bands react to that pressure can often define their progress. Kerr and drumming bandmate Ben Thatcher are obviously relishing the limelight, though.

“Yeah, it’s a bit of a new experience for us, but it’s fine, you know,” Kerr says when asked how he’s handling the constant headlines. “It’s all fine, though. We’re just enjoying having a good time, mostly. You know, the touring’s going and the album’s done and out, so our work’s kinda done, really! This is the part we love the most, really. The album, all the promo; it’s all just so we can get back out on the road and play shows and just have a good time.”

That was a big sentiment that Kerr and Thatcher carried into the studio in making Royal Blood, the fact that they were a live band, first and foremost. Enter producer Tom Dalgerty, who has worked with Band Of Skulls, Killing Joke, Turbowolf and a slew of other bands who all hold the holy riff above all else when it comes to making music. It’s no surprise what Royal Blood became, then, a non-stop barrage of heavy riffs – all thrown out by Kerr’s fairly genius bass set-up – and huge, crashing drums. It’s a solid debut, and it’s hard to argue against it meeting Kerr’s aims.

“Yeah, I’m pretty happy with it, because it was definitely a thing where we wanted to play the songs as they sound on the album live. Being on stage is a totally unique experience, but you have to try to get as close as you can when you’re in the studio, otherwise it’s not genuine, y’know?” A big part of their sound has been Queens Of The Stone Age; the influence is clear. “We always wanted to be like that; honest and loud. And cool, like Josh Homme.”