Local friends and family, man oh man do we have a cool Radar for you this week! Just a short time back, I discovered a duo from the United Kingdom called Royal Blood. Their song “Out Of The Black” kept appearing on little blogs and on my Spotify playlists. Before I knew it, they were all over alternative radio, getting tons of buzz, and now, going on tour with the Foo Fighters. It’s almost surreal to me as a fan to see them blow up so fast, so I can’t imagine what’s going through their brains.
I had the chance to chat with Mike Kerr, bass player from Royal Blood, about everything that has been happening in their careers. Of course, we had to chat about their local play, Citi Field! Nothing like a little Royal Blood on your turf! Check it out below:
Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me, Mike. In the eyes of fans, it almost seems like you guys blew up overnight. However, I am sure on your end, it feels very different. What would you say is the coolest thing you’ve accomplished as a band thus far?
That’s the toughest first question in an interview I’ve had to answer! It’s really hard to say, there’s been so many “pinch me” moments, but I’d probably have to say Glastonbury last year was special. Only a year before that we’d gone to our first Glastonbury as punters, to then be playing a packed-out tent to 15,000 people a year later was mental.
To capitalize on that, touring with the legendary Foo Fighters, would you say it’s somewhat of a dream come true?
Absolutely. When we’d been asked the question in interviews, “Who would you like to tour with?” the answer was always Foo Fighters. It’s going to be a legendary tour—we cannot wait.
Can you tell us a little bit about how this tour came about?
There’s no real story here. I think Dave [Grohl] had seen videos of us on YouTube playing a couple of festivals and was into what we’re doing, and a request came into our management. It didn’t really require any time to think about it, it was an immediate yes, a complete no-brainer!
If they asked you to play a song with them, what song would it be?
Again, good question. Probably “Everlong.” It’s one of the songs that I’ve been sticking on our playlist before shows. But there are so many songs to choose from. I can’t wait to see what set they’ll be playing on these dates.
You’re playing some pretty large stadiums, including Citi Field July 15 and 16 (in which I will be in attendance). Are there any places in particular you are excited to rock?
Citi Field, for sure. That’s like 50,000 people per night, right? And it’s New York! We are definitely looking forward to Fenway Park too. It’s such a great opportunity to be able to play on these types of stages and filling out that kind of size/space with your songs is going to be something that we’re going to relish.
Now I want to talk music; I still have your self-titled record on regular rotation over a year later. Can we expect some new tunes anytime soon?
We’ve started writing tracks for the follow-up, and we’re going to try and continue that whilst we’re on the road with a view to getting into the studio before the end of the year.
Is there a favorite track you like to perform live? If I have a personal choice, mine would be “Blood Hands.”
I really enjoy “Figure It Out.” It’s one of our most recognisable songs now and was one of the first songs we’d ever written. Also, where we position it in the setlist really gets the crowd going. Also “Out Of The Black,” the set closer, has morphed into a untameable beast. Anything can happen with that song.
You guys are so different than anything out right now, true rock and roll. What are you guys listening to music wise?
Thanks! We’re really enjoying the new album from Turbowolf, and we’ve just been touring with Mini Mansions. Their record has just come out and is awesome.
After your tour with Foo Fighters, what is next for the band?
We head back to the U.K. for the Reading and Leeds Festivals, then we have a show in Brazil and one final tour of the U.S. in September/October. Then it’s in the studio!
Catch Royal Blood with the Foo Fighters at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ on July 13, and Citi Field in Queens, NY on July 15 and 16. For more information, visit royalbloodband.com.
