Interview: Royal Blood

Brit rock-pair Royal Blood formed in 2013 and not even a year into their journey they have set the music world alight with the release of their debut EP, Out of the Black and have also found themselves supporting fellow British rockers Arctic Monkeys on one of the bands biggest UK shows of the last 12 months. Not bad for a band so fresh one the scene.

We caught up with the lads of Royal Blood recently while they were in Norway and got to chat about the duo’s brand new EP release, their influences and when we might have a debut album in our hand. Here is what they had to tell us…

Brendon Veevers: Hi guys, how are you both and where in the world does our interview find you?

RB: We are doing great thanks. we write to you from our hotel room in Burgen, Norway.

BV: Congratulations on the release of your new EP, Out of the Black. Whats the reaction been like towards the release so far from the fans?

RB: Its been overwhelming to be honest, Its already taken us around the world playing headline shows in places we’ve always dreamed of going such as New York and Sydney, Australia.

BV: What did you both do to celebrate the release of the EP? Any big parties of rituals?

RB: Our life on the road is still so new and fresh to us that everyday feels like a party, I don’t actually remember what we did in celebration which means we must have had a good time.

BV: For those who may not have had a chance to hear the EP yet, describe the sound and style of the collection and a general idea of what they might expect?

RB: A wise man once said ‘Writing about music is a bit like dancing about architecture’ but I’ll do my best! We hear our music as primitive rock and roll which means lots of riffs and heavy use of drums. More importantly though we like to write songs which has always been our love, I liked to think we accomplish both somewhere over the 4 tracks on the EP. We think of it as a introduction to hint towards whats to come.

BV: With the EP being a huge success for you, when might we expect a full length album for you?

RB: I believe late August is the rumour going around. We have something very near completion in our hands so we intend to stay true to that date.

BV: What’s the story behind the name of the band? Why Royal Blood?

RB: We always felt it was the name for reasons we couldn’t explain. I guess there was something in it that felt like a good title for the noise we were beginning to make. I don’t remember a ‘eureka’ moment very clearly, its just a name we quickly became comfortable with.

BV: What acts would you say have been the main influences for you both over the years?

RB: So many influences bleed into what we do, I guess bands such as Led Zeppelin, QOTSA, Nirvana and the Racontuers pointed us in a direction that made us make music we got really excited about. There is also lots of hip hop/pop artist on Ben’s side of the camp such as Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake which I hear in his drumming.

BV: The band itself is relatively new but you have both been friends for some time. Can you tell us how the band came to be and the stages of Royal Blood so far in terms of getting to where you are at these days?

RB: We have been in bands together for years, so writing music together was nothing new. This is the first band we have been in together where I was singing and playing a bass (I usually played keys). When we met up to start Royal Blood it had been a few years apart as I had gone off travelling. It was something we started to have fun to be honest and we looked no further than that. After releasing some music online things picked up fast and suddenly people where talking about us on blogs and magazines.. it got out of hand very quickly after that.

BV: You supported the Arctic Monkeys recently. What was that experience like and were the chaps good hosts?

RB: It was a real honour to be apart of that evening and we had lots of fun playing it. By far the biggest crowd we have played to so felt like a real moment.

As for the hosting, they put on a real night for everyone in front and behind the stage at Finsbury which we are grateful for.

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BV: Did the band share any tips with you about tackling the industry?

RB: No. Im not sure if the industry needs tackling. We just do our thing and write music that makes us feel excited and proud, the same way they do.

BV: For such a new band you seem to have been fairly lucky in terms of the attention you are getting. How have you both found the transition from obscurity to increasing fame?

RB: We don’t really feel like we are on much of an increase of fame. Its not like we are getting ‘paped’ in Morrisons or signing autographs down the local pub just yet. I guess the main transition we are seeing and feeling is when we play our own shows to big crowds of people and meet fans after the shows, that is something that is very new to us but we really enjoy it.

BV: The festival scene in the UK is rearing to go and being Brighton lads you are in the heart of the action. Are there any plans to play the stages at any of this year’s big festivals that you can tell us about and if so, what ones are you most looking forward to playing at?

RB: We are most looking forward to Glastonbury and Reading/Leeds. Reading is the festival I went to growing up so that will be a big moment for me.

Royal Bloods new EP Out of the Black is out now.

Brendon Veevers

::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
Brendon manages and coordinates the amazing team of writers on RenownedForSound.com who are based in the UK, the U.S and Australia.