“Loose Change” has just started up. Royal Blood is in the “last lap,” the big crescendo that all arena gigs have (and make no mistake, this is an arena gig in all but name). Mike Kerr is riffing away on his bass, Ben Thatcher is standing up on his drum stool, and The Civic Hall goes all kinds of crazy.
In short, in six words: it means Royal Blood are back.
They might have been a little lacklustre last year, but my goodness, they seem reenergised here.
Rewind an hour or so, and they – along with keyboard player Darren Watts – arrived onstage to adulation and with a brand new track, “Mountains Of Midnight,” the opening track on their recent record. A bravely expansive change of focus, it sounds as heavy as hell here.
Yet they haven’t lost any of their power. “Come On Over” incites a moshpit; it’s not exactly Slayer and a wall of death, but it’s proper rock ‘n’ roll.
In the summer, Kerr went viral when he ranted at a Radio One crowd (for what it’s worth, it seemed like a stunt to me), and he’s – rightly – testy here when some fool throws a drink on stage. It does seem to increase the energy of “Boilermaker.”
They are polished, they are bombastic, but they’re original. “Triggers” is a stadium shaker, but on their terms, and that applies even more to the new stuff, although Watts is prominent on “Trouble Coming” too.
“Typhoons” underlines their skill in writing huge hooks, while “Pull Me Through” has an expansive feel.
Kerr doesn’t say a lot, but he commands his flock with skill. Thousands stand at his behest as “Little Monster” starts.
There’s a drum solo at the end of it too, with Thatcher banging his trademark gong, although it’s “Tell Me When It’s Too Late” with all its shades that most shines a light on the brave new world.
“Out Of The Black” opens with Machine Gun riffing, and it ends with Thatcher in the crowd, but the encore starts in a place that’s a world away from that. “Waves” is perhaps the most ambitious thing on “Back To The Water Below” and is here too.
Cleverly, they end with two from the astonishing debut, “Ten Tonne Hammer,” and, of course, “Figure It Out.”
As it plays, for the first time tonight, Kerr stands atop the walkway behind the drums, high up, surveying the scene he’s created, perhaps observing the reaction to the songs.
They’ve been an arena rock band, and there’s every indication that they’ll be there again – they were basically there tonight anyway.
Royal Blood is something of a unique proposition. They’ve progressed but on their own terms. This polished, well-paced set reminds everyone that they’re consummate live performers.
