Live Review: Royal Blood in Perth
Royal Blood – 21 December 2023 at HBF Stadium in Perth, Western Australia
Review by Sheldon Ang
Photography by Sheldon Ang Photography
The final leg of the Australian and NZ tour of Royal Blood has landed in Perth, homing straight into HBF Stadium before the rage of three thousand rock fans – not bad for the Thursday before the holy night of 2023. The tour showcased their latest album Back To The Water Below, following the success of their previous three albums; Royal Blood (2014), How Did We Get So Dark (2017) and Typhoon (2021), all peaked at number one on the UK charts, with the debut album reaching number 17 in the US Billboard 100.
The thunderous raw of the Perth crowd for the British duo were telling; Mike Kerr moonlighting as vocalist and bass sees his playing style resonating the sounds of electric guitar and bass though octave pedal effects and droning harmonics, while Ben Thatcher thunderous groove providing the rhythm captaincy through drums. It’s a unique one-two combination by two musicians with the full effect of a band, with the occasional touring keyboard player for the practicality of a live performance.
Local Perth act Psychedelic Porn Crumpets who have been opening for Royal Blood across Australia sparked the night through the fusion of rock and psychedelic essence. Their onstage shenanigans could have been mistaken for a shampoo ad, with gravity defying frocks weaving across the stage in synchronised awe, drawing a 90’s grunge spectra. The five piece graced the stage with Tally-Ho in their seven song, thirty minute setlist, ending with Hymm for a Droid. There were calls for an encore – an unusual sight for an opener; but such was the fanship for a band that started playing at a “barn in Leederville” through their end to end riffs and scintillating musicianship. Thank you Royal Blood for recognising Perth as home to some of the most talented artists in Australia.
So at nine o’clock on a Perth balmy summer night, Royal Blood stormed the stage with Out of the Black from their debut self-titled album Royal Blood, casting the sounds of alternative and indie rock. The limelight and eye catching phenomena were equally shared between the two, which is quiet usual. Just like in the electric personification of Glastonbury in 2017, the fans caused a slight tremor and head bopping to the bass and modified sounds of electric guitar, backed by the thunderous spirit of the drums, propelling a sonic onslaught that roared and soared, sounding more of a four-piece unit. The live entwinement between drums and bass was monstrously addictive.
Spicing the crowd engagement into hysteria, Ben Thatcher gestured the crowd by the barrier to make way, assuming for a floor landing – and we were only on the first song into the setlist. Safety first, as he decided to make his way casually without the flying circus fanfare. Like water sprinkled in oil, fans respectfully opened the floor for the drummer, many of whom were hysterical. Typical Perth, they maintained the personal space for the celebrity, other than the casual high fives and handshakes; arguably Perth have the most non invasive, non intimidating crowd.
“This is the last show, thanks for coming, this is what we do, for you to have a good time…it’s a simple wonderful job that we do, so I hope we are doing OK…(crowd cheering), the band who played before us is called The Physchedellic Porn Crumpets and they are fu*king insane.”
There were little verbal engagement throughout the show – and frankly, the crowd were happy about that.
From debut single to the first track of the latest album Back To The Water Below, the two piece rocked with the explosive performance of Mountains At Midnight, followed by the 90’s grungy riff in Lights Out, then manifesting into the swagger filled Shiner in the Dark that sonical sits alongside the parallel universe with Lenny Kravitz. The simplistic and catchiness tunes of Royal Blood continued with the aggressive take on Typhoons. By now, the fans at the front formed a mini whirlpool, dancing and stomping the ground, moving in circles and hands in the air like the worshippers around The Kaaba – but in fast forward by ten folds.
There were calls for “Drum solo! Drum solo! Drum solo!” – Ben Thatcher abided. He attacked the snares, drums and kicks with the ferocity of a martial arts practitioner, with the booms and thuds personified. The solo act became the chorus and centrepiece itself, shifting the attention by one hundred percent to the drummer.
The night continued with hits such as One Trick Pony, before returning to the three-song encore with Waves of their latest album, as Kerr showcasing a milder vocals, telling their story with dark, poignant lyrics. It revealed the piano propulsion within the contemplative facet, swaying from the usual sonic aggression which saw Chris Young of Psychedelic Porn Crumpets returning to the stage. Ten Tonne Skeleton and the massive hit Figure It Out finalised the encore.
Through four albums since 2014, the British bass and drum duo have maintained their aggressive sonic reverberation on stage while occasionally sprinkling sentiments into their lyrics and sound. From the messy garage feel to pop sensibilities, the storming out sensations of Royal Blood live is a welcoming sight of music craft and dexterity, which compounded into involuntarily movements by the thousands from Glastonbury to Perth.
Sheldon Ang Media expresses his gratitude to Frontier Touring and Royal Blood for the Press Accreditation and reviewer seats.
About the Writer/Photographer: Sheldon Ang Media (est. May 2022) have been accredited to photograph and review over 60 of the hottest acts in Perth including Coldplay, KISS, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Rod Stewart with reviews shared by the likes of UB40, Delta Goodrem and Toni Childs on social media. He has interviewed rockers Ace Frehley (KISS), John Steel (The Animals), Frank Ferrer (Guns N Roses), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Andrew Farris (INXS) and over forty legends.
