Few modern rock bands have gone from playing pubs and clubs to arenas quite as quickly as British duo Royal Blood, and they’ve swept up rock royalty along the way.
The bass and drum pairing of Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher took off with their self-titled debut album in 2014. Their third album, 2021’s Typhoons, was co-produced by Josh Homme – who is but one of the many A-list artists who count themselves as Royal Blood fans.
“I still can’t believe that happened,” Kerr tells Spin’s Lipps Service podcast of the time none other than Jimmy Page turned up to a show. “It was [over] 10 years ago, but it was a moment I’ll never forget.”
The show was at New York’s Mercury Lounge back in May 2014, just as mammoth anthems like Figure it Out and Little Monster saw the band explode. “My hero came to the gig,” Kerr later wrote on Facebook.
“We got a heads up that he was coming, but it wasn’t a sure thing,” Kerr recalls. “And then some security rocked up a couple of hours before doors. Then I was like, ‘I think he’s coming.’”
That US tour provided firsts for the young bands everyday. This was a whole other level of terrifying.
“I didn’t know for sure he was there until I was walking on stage,” he says. “At the Mercury Lounge, the dressing rooms are at the back of the venue, so I had to walk past Jimmy to get to the stage. That was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been in my life.”
Still, like everything else, Kerr and Thatcher took every turn of the band’s rollercoaster in their stride.
“I think we opened with a tune called Hole [the B-Side for Little Monster], and I remember finding his eyes about a minute into the track. I could see he was engaged and enjoying it, and the weight was kind of lifted.
“It definitely gives you a run for your money, but that show in particular felt really special.”
Years later, the band was still running into rock royalty, from covering Foo Fighters with members of Biffy Clyro, Coldplay, and pop queen Dua Lipa, to taking on a Metallica classic as part of their bumper Black Album anniversary.
The band is now set to release their fifth album, Dead Company, next week. It was tracked at the prestigious Sound City Studios.
