Royal Blood is an English rock duo formed in Littlehampton in 2011. The current lineup consists of Mike Kerr (vocals, bass guitar, piano) and Ben Thatcher (drums). Their signature sound is built around Kerr's bass playing style, which sees him using various effects pedals and amps to make his bass guitar sound like an electric guitar and bass guitar at the same time. The duo was signed by Warner Chappell Music in 2013 and has since released four studio albums: Royal Blood (2014), How Did We Get So Dark? (2017), Typhoons (2021), and Back to the Water Below (2023).

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By Kreig Marks, June 2024

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Kreig:  Congratulations on the new album, "Back to the Water."  Great stuff.  You seem to have returned to your rock roots on this one.  The whole album rocks.  Would you agree that this was a step back to where you guys started going back to the first album?

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Mike:  I'd say so, myself.  We like all the music we make, which is the point of being in a band.  

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Ben:  That's what we are in this for, to put out good music that we enjoy and for our fans to enjoy as well.

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Kreig:  You guys seem to approach your music like a Jackson Pollock painting, splashing different bits and pieces of rock music to create your style.  What's your thought on that? 

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Mike:  Yeah, I like that.  I think it's about trying to put things together in different places.  Sometimes it's easy to put the pieces together and it just flows and happens pretty easily.  Other times, it takes a bit more work.  But I do like that comparison to Jackson Pollock.  Wonderful painter. 

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Kreig:  How much of your experimentation involves new gear or new programming?  Does that influence your writing?  

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Mike:  Yeah, most definitely.  As soon as you approach things in a way that you've never done things before, that's usually an exciting way to begin something.  That can sometimes be when you're using a new guitar or pedal, or drum machine, it brings some new ideas to the table. 

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Kreig:  Mike, how many basses do you usually bring with you on tour?  

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Mike:  On tour, I usually have about 10 with me.  I'll use about half of those for each show.

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Kreig:  When you guys write a tune, is it generally start to finish and you're done?  Does it take you both a lot of time to write your songs or do many of them come to you pretty quickly?

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Mike:   Some of them are pretty quick.  Others take some time where we'll start with something and let it sit there for a while and then revisit it.  

Kreig:  You guys came out running several years ago with "Figure it Out."  I remember hearing it the first time and was blown away when I learned that there was no guitar on that track, just you, Mike, on bass, and Joe on the drums.  What is Figure it Out about?  

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Mike:  I can't tell you!  Lol.  We'd have to end the interview right there.  Or maybe sign a non-disclosure.  Lol. 

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Kreig:  Ah!  I guess it's for us to figure it out for ourselves.

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Mike:  Exactly!

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Kreig:  From the new album, "How Many More Times", "There Goes My Cool", "Waves", "Pull Me Through", all seem to be very John Lennon-esque in the sound.  Was he an inspiration for those songs?

 

Mike:  Not really, although that is a nice compliment.  I think when we write the songs, we seem to break the songs down to a raw format.  I think we come from a place of classical songwriting anyway.  Even though we have heavy songs, we're still sitting on skeletons of proper songs. 

 

Kreig:  When you first started playing bass, was it just traditional bass?  When did you find the unique sound that you're so well known for now?

 

Mike:  I started out playing piano.  I didn't start playing bass until my early 20's.  I was interested in creating interesting sounds.  The bass seemed to open up that world once I started using different pedals and some effects.  

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Kreig:  Joe, when did you start with the drums?

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Ben:  Oh wow, at a very young age.  

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Kreig:  Once you started playing, did you know that's what you wanted to do for the rest of your life?

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Ben:  Oh yeah, most definitely.  The drums spoke to me, they kind of found me in a way.  Whatever you do in life, you have to love it if you want to be good at it.  It takes a lot of practice.  I've always enjoyed playing the drums and writing music.

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Kreig:  The first two albums were very heavy, very rock.  During COVID, you guys seem to have experimented a bit, your sound seemed to be more pop.  Would you agree?

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Mike:  Yeah, I'd say so.  During COVID, we didn't know what was going to happen moving forward.  We didn't know if live music was going to be a reality anymore.  So, we did some experimentation.  I think that a part of being an artist is going into new territories, and trying new things.  For us, that's what we're trying to do all the time.  We've never sat down to hash a plan of what type of songs to write.  

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Kreig:  How do you guys set list for your shows?  Is it easier for you at this point since you have so many more songs now than you did, say, ten years ago?

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Mike: There are more difficult things in life, I imagine, but, I think now we feel we have real options.  Before, there were the songs we were expected to play, which is great, but now, it feels like we can kind of move things around, keeping us on our toes too.  

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Kreig:  Are there any songs you've pulled from your set list that you haven't played in a while?

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Mike:  Yeah, we've done that very recently.  Our 10th anniversary since our debut album is coming up so we're taking things from that record that we haven't played a lot recently.

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Kreig:  You can only choose one.  Pick a song that would excite and attract a woman to you if you played it live for her.  What is sexier, "Little Monster" or "Boiler Maker"?

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Mike:  "Boiler Maker".  I think it's got that groove to it.  I think it goes for all genders, not just for women.  

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Kreig:   "Figure it Out" or "Trouble Coming"?   

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Mike:  "Trouble Coming".  Definitely.  There's gonna be trouble all night.  Lol.

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Kreig:  "Lights Out" or "Typhoons".

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Mike:  "Typhoons"

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Kreig:  You can create the best hard or all-rock band ever with 6 players, dead or alive.  Who are your players? 

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Ben:  John Bonham

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Mike:  John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Jon Bon Jovi, and Sylvester Stallone.  And Tom Cruise on Keys.

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Kreig:  Tom Cruise on Keys.  Hell, why not?  He's already played the best race car driver, and the best fighter pilot.  Why not the best keyboard player too?  Make it into a move. 

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Mike:  Why not?

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Kreig:  Sylvester Stallone?  Not Frank Stallone?

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Mike:  Nope, has to be Sly. 

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Kreig:  Lol.  What's the name of the band?

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Mike:  Uh......Chronicles!

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Kreig:  Love it.  Tom Cruise and Sylvester Stallone.  Where are you guys headed after here?

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Mike:  Atlanta.  Then, I believe we have about another 10 or 12 shows.  

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Kreig:  Guys, thanks for sitting down with me today.  By the way, the sound check was pretty insane.  Had a great time hanging out and we'll be hanging around for the show.

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Ben:  Thanks, Kreig.  This has been cool.  

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www.royalblood.com

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