While out in Australia for Splendour in the Grass (and some cheeky headline dates of their own), British duo Royal Blood found some time to catch up with us in Sydney. Also during their time out in Australia this month, Mike and Ben dropped the details of their largest Australian tour yet, which will see Royal Blood return in April and May next year.
“It’s been an amazing thing for us because I think our time here has been so slim.” guitarist and vocalist Mike Kerr says. “Every time we’ve come over here it’s been for these frustratingly short bursts of time. We genuinely love playing here and the touring experience is…there’s always so much fun stuff to do. I think our fans really get it here. It’s a warm embrace.”
Traversing the hot topics, namely Game of Thrones’ now-controversial decision to drop an Ed Sheeran cameo into its season opener, the boys dish on their TV dreams.
“I wanna be on TV with Gordon Ramsay,” Kerr says. “He’s cooler than any musician that’s ever walked the planet. He’s the man.”
“I’d like to be one of the Power Rangers.” drummer Ben Thatcher adds. “Imagine that, all this time, you didn’t know it was me?”
Turning attention to the release of their second album How Did We Get So Dark?, Royal Blood reflect on the last few months of performance and the process of bringing the album to life on stages now around the globe.
“I think whatever we do, it’s going to sound like us,” Mike says. “We have a sound and we have an identity; the new songs made the record for a reason. I think particularly the fans have responded to them in a really positive way. Songs like “Lights Out” and “Only Lie” already feel like part of the same gang; having mixed them in with the rest of the set, it’s felt surprisingly seamless.”
ROYAL BLOOD AUSTRALIAN & NZ TOUR DATES
April 24th | Hordern Pavilion, SYDNEY | All Ages
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May 1st | Logan Campbell Centre, AUCKLAND | All Ages
www.ticketmaster.co.nz
May 3rd | TSB Bank Arena, WELLINGTON | All Ages
www.ticketmaster.co.nz
May 7th | Riverstage, BRISBANE | All Ages
www.ticketmaster.com.au
May 9th | Margaret Court Arena, MELBOURNE | All Ages
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May 13th | HBF Stadium, PERTH | All Ages
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Photo by Bruce Baker.
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