Ones To Watch February 2014: Royal Blood

Brighton boys, Royal Blood, have certainly been put on our radar, and if the last year is anything to go by, this heavy and hefty Rock duo look set to shake things up.

After Arctic Monkeys’ drummer Matt Helders wore a Royal Blood t-shirt, at his band’s Glastonbury set last summer, a catalyst was caused. ‘Just who are Royal Blood?’ onlookers asked, as many journalists and music industry professionals puzzled over the unheard-of band name. ‘And why is a big Indie-Rock star so keen to promote them?’

The pair, which consists of Mike Keer on electrifying bass and Ben Thatcher on thundering drums, only joined forces in early 2013, but the result of a year’s work is spectacular. Keer and Thatcher team together to create a sound as colossal (if not even more so) as Rock-duos before them, such as The Black Keys and The White Stripes.

Their two single releases are an example of Grunge-Rock at its finest. ‘Out Of The Black’, features moody and striking vocals from Keer, along with hammering guitar chords and bellowing drum beats. It opens with staccato chord strums and drum face bashing, as piercing as bullets firing from a gun. ‘Come On Over’ has such weighty sounds, it equals to the likes of Queens Of The Stone Age or Foo Fighters. A Nirvana-esque punk angst seems reincarnated.

With more releases to come, Royal Blood are set to take Arctic Monkey’s support slot at Finsbury Park in May. And this February the rockers are off on their own UK tour, to demonstrate their mind-blowing volumes live.