Royal Blood – “Little Monster”

Bassist, singer Mike Kerr, 24, and drummer Ben Thatcher, 27, who are Royal Blood, slap and tap such an amazingly large sound that it’s almost hard to believe they take up so little human space. Just the two of them spooling out grinding, arena-rock-worthy songs that do truly rock in the best kind of way. Who knew that a bass solo could sound so incredibly melodic? Well, now I know because I’ve listened to their self-titled debut album, which was released in August 2015 and garnered them a whole boatload of attention and awards in their native British Isles. Two NME Awards for Best Live Band and Best New Band, a BRIT Award for Best British Group and a nomination for the UK’s Mercury Prize. Oh, and Jimmy Page has said some really nice things about them too. They do remind of another power-duo made up of Jack and Meg who went by the name White Stripes, yet there’s also a rocky path that leads to classics like late-eighties desert rock pioneers Masters of Reality and on to Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age and so on.

Now they find themselves headlining some sold-out shows before stowing away on the Foo Fighters US tour, performing at the Governor’s Ball, Sasquatch, Bonnaroo, Life Is Beautiful and ACL festivals and then wrapping it up this fall on the west coast with more solo gigs. Before all that fun begins though, Howard Stern is getting his hands on them to chat and play their hit single “Figure It Out” live on June 9th on his radio program. The video for “Little Monster,” which was filmed in Tokyo (Howard also debuted that last week, but you get to see it here/now), proves that in the right hands, the power of two can be undeniable.

UPCOMING LIVE DATES
June 3 – Metro – Chicago, IL – SOLD OUT
June 4 – Newport Music Hall – Columbus, OH – SOLD OUT
June 7 – Governors Ball – New York, NY
June 10 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC# – SOLD OUT
June 11 – Amos’ Southend – Charlotte, NC#
June 12 – Bonnaroo – Manchester, TN
June 13 – Center Stage – Atlanta, GA# – SOLD OUT
July 6 – Susquehanna Bank Center – Camden, NJ^
July 8 – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre – Toronto, ON^
July 9 – Molson Canadian Amphitheater – Toronto, ON^
July 11 – Quebec Summerfest – Quebec City, QC
July 12 – Higher Ground – South Burlington, VT
July 13 – Susquehanna Center – Camden, NJ^
July 15 – Citi Field – New York, NY^
July 16 – Citi Field – New York, NY^
July 17 – Upstate Concert Hall – Clifton Park, NY
July 19 – Fenway Park – Boston, MA^
August 9 – Squamish Festival – Squamish, BC
August 12 – Rexall Place – Edmonton, AB^
August 13 – Scotiabank Saddledome – Calgary, AB^
August 16 – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater – Denver, CO^
August 17 – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater – Denver, CO^
August 19 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater – Maryland Heights, MO^
August 21 – Sprint Center – Kansas City, MO^
August 22 – Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, MN^
August 24 – DTE Energy Center – Detroit, MI^
August 25 – First Niagra Pavilion – Pittsburgh, PA ^
September 24 – The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA
September 25 – House of Blues – San Diego, CA
September 28 – The Marquee – Tempe, AZ
September 25- 27 – Life Is Beautiful Festival – Las Vegas, NV
October 6 – Cain’s Ballroom – Tulsa, OK
October 9 – 11 – ACL Music Festival – Austin, TX
September 24 – The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA
September 25 – House of Blues – San Diego, CA
September 28 – The Marquee – Tempe, AZ
October 6 – Cain’s Ballroom – Tulsa, OK
^ Supporting Foo Fighters
# Supported by Mini Mansions