Royal blood lights out review8/15/2023 ![]() Tracks like “Lights Out,” “Hook, Line and Sinker,” and “Figure It Out” are built to rattle the walls of arenas like this one and rattle the walls of the arena they certainly do. Powering through a set featuring a wealth of cuts from the Typhoons album, Kerr and his partner in crime drum powerhouse Ben Thatcher, have proved over the years why each subsequent tour has seen the band step up to bigger and bigger venues. That being said, Kerr is still hugely appreciative of the thousands of fans that have turned out with the Brighton pair making sure the wait has been worth it. Now, whether it is a result of the original reschedules or this last-minute reschedule saw the gig shift from a Friday evening to a Tuesday, but the Arena isn’t packed to the rafters. A huge bank of video screens dwarfs the pair as they take to the stage and smash straight into the title track. It feels like an absolute age since Royal Blood were playing their special guest slot at Leeds Festival with festival headline bookings set to make 2022 a busy Summer for the duo on the touring circuit. Admitting they’re going to be making the most of this last date supporting the headliners, the Reading outfit power through their seven-song set with the likes of “Ready For Something” and “There’s A Light” going down a treat with the pockets of Amazons fans around the dancefloor. ![]() From the metallic Muse-aping “Figure It Out” to a vitriolic “Out Of The Black”, tonight Royal Blood sound as brawny, focused and as arena-sized as the venues they'll no doubt be selling out when they next return.Opening the show are Reading indie quartet The Amazons who reveal to the crowd that they have a longstanding history with the headliners having handled their merch table at the Reading Facebar back in the early days of their career. On the whole though, despite augmenting the set with a drum solo and bass solos which show exactly what one can do when its turbo-charged to sound like a guitar, there isn't an inch to pinch in the set. It adds a new dimension to their otherwise juggernaut sound that revels in taut simplicity, Mike even hammering out the intro to "Hole In Your Heart" on a keyboard. Their second album How Did We Get So Dark? was slinkier and sexier than it's raw, self-titled predecessor and the groovy “She's Creeping” and “Hook Line & Sinker” are more roll than rock. Genuinely overwhelmed at the scenes before them, the pair mouth a disbelieving "fuuuuuuuck" to each other. After some high profile support slots and two incendiary Glasto performances, they've found themselves gazing out into this vast room. The duo, Mike and drummer Ben Thatcher, have come a long way in a short space of time. At one point bassist and frontman Mike Kerr has to stop the gig to prevent a crush. As Royal Blood kick into muscular opener “Lights Out”, surrounded by a cage of lasers and backed by huge screens, the duo spark a tangle of riff-chanting, pogoing bodies that lasts the entire evening. ![]() It's pretty clear though that the crowd are hankering for meaty, rather than squalling, grooves. ![]() But even crummy sound can't suppress the El Paso quintet whose primal, white-hot energy on “Enfilade” and “Cosmonaut” is burning bright enough to propel them through the majestic glass ceiling. Tempo 90 Better than the drum tab, this is a full drum transcription, drum sheet music chart, or drum score for Lights Out by Royal Blood. Tonight, the band fall prey to the Ally Pally curse - their fragmented post-hardcore idiosyncrasies and sonic acrobatics are lost in the venue's cavernous space. When this writer saw the band at Leeds festival earlier this year, it was a sullen performance that failed to connect with the audience. Up next, eschewing sweetness for chaos, At the Drive-In are the outliers on tonight's bill. “Dig” and “Hello Today” are amped-up, vintage Americana, replete with a dash of Hole, a splash of Wolf Alice and sprinkling of Best Coast, equal parts sugar and spike. Fellow Brightonians Black Honey kick off proceedings with their breezy grunge. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |