Royal Blood, the British duo known for creating dark heavy rock with blasts of bluesy pop, moved through the haze hovering over the historic Paramount Theatre’s sleek stage with cool composure and superstar swagger. Drummer Ben Thatcher stepped up to his riser while bassist Mike Kerr stepped onto one of his many effects pedals. The pair exchanged glances and with four clicks of Thatcher’s sticks, the two kicked into the thick sounds of “Mountains at Midnight” off their self-produced 2023 release Back to the Water Below.
Kerr’s knack for shaping bass tonalities into one-of-a-kind scuzzed-out guitar sounds and Thatcher’s mad-hitting drum skills served as a cornerstone for the rest of the evening. The duo, with help from Darren James on keyboards for the live set, blasted further into the show with “Come on Over” off the band’s 2014 self-titled release Royal Blood, followed by the heavy weighted, toe-tapping Josh Homme produced hit “Boilermaker,” off 2021’s Typhoons. The band’s massive maximalist sound remained prominent in the brooding but highly danceable tracks “Trouble's Coming” and “Typhoons,” also off 2021’s Typhoons.
Royal Blood added a huge dose of full-on flair as Mike performed several finger-flailing bass breakdowns and Ben pounded out ultra-precise drum solos throughout the show. The duo continued to pump up their fans with the stunningly sturdy “Little Monster” (Royal Blood). Afterward, Ben jumped off his riser into the crowd to move through a whirling mosh pit of devoted fans. Kerr followed and reached into the audience to hand-deliver a few picks. The pair rounded out the show with two additional songs from their first release Royal Blood, the ruthlessly hard “Loose Change” and “Out of the Black,” before they disappeared into the haze.
After a few minutes of concertgoers chanting “Royal Blood!,” Kerr and Thatcher returned to the lights and locked in for the stunning “Waves” (Back to the Water Below) with opening act Hot Wax’s lead singer and guitarist Tallulah Sim-Savage adding background vocals. The serene song was a perfect release from the heaviness, but born to blast, Royal Blood ultimately ended the show with the harsh, supermassive hits “Ten Tonne Skeleton” and “Figure It Out” (Royal Blood). Pure rock fury at its best.
Setlist:
Mountains at Midnight
Come on Over
Boilermaker
Lights Out
Shiner in the Dark
One Trick Pony
Triggers
Trouble's Coming
Typhoons
Pull Me Through
Little Monster
How Did We Get So Dark?
Tell Me When It's Too Late
Loose Change
Out of the Black
Encore:
Waves
Ten Tonne Skeleton
Figure It Out
