Royal Blood – 10th Anniversary live at The Brixton Academy

Words: Kahmel Farahani

Photos Kahmel Farahani & Veronica Bergonzini

Royal Blood, the duo of Mike Kerr on bass/vocals and Ben Thatcher on the drums, are celebrating their 10th anniversary as a band and what better way than doing it with 2 nights at the newly re-opened Brixton Academy.

Royal Blood open with the fuzzy staccato riffing Out Of The Black from their debut album. With throbbing bassline and bouncing drum beat its perfect calling card for the band. Halfway through the song Ben Thatcher climbs out from behind his drum kit, climbs over the barrier and into the crowd to get the fans even more roused up. They lift him aloft and carry him back to the barrier before a thunderous climax to the song.

With only drums, bass and vocals, the sound is huge and straight to the point. Songs like Come On Over and You Can Be So Cruel sound lean and mean. A brief switchover happens as Royal Blood invite young Shane Hawkins up on stage to take a turn on the drums.

A chip off the old block, Shane Hawkins plays a tremendous guest spot on Little Monster tonight, complete with an extended drum solo that would surely make his late and dearly missed father very proud. As Ben Thatcher comes back on stage he gives Shane a big hug.

Songs like Ten Tonne Skeleton and the more recent Boilermaker sounds like the bastard love child between Muse and The Arctic Monkeys, and that’s not a bad place to be. What Royal Blood lack in variety they make up for in high energy and tonight the whole of the Brixton Academy is with them in singing along.

Royal Blood themselves are incredibly gracious and grateful to the fans, with Mike Kerr thanking the hardcore fans in particular: “Thank you so much for your loyalty and support these last 10 years. I see some faces down the front who come to every single show and we truly appreciate you”.

Their encore starts with Waves before Troubles Coming. It ends with a gloriously loud and loose How Did It Get So Dark. Tonight’s show proved that Royal Blood are a tremendous live act and have built up a rather tidy and impressive catalogue of songs. Here is hoping that the next ten years are just as fruitful for them.