Royal Blood at Eventim Apollo

Royal Blood have built a bit of a reputation for themselves as a phenomenal live act on the rock music circuit, and the duo have just released their fourth studio album Back to the Water Below, produced by the band themselves, to a strong critical reception. It’s safe to say that expectations are high for tonight at London’s Eventim Appollo.

As Ennio Morricone’s The Ecstacy of Gold rings out around the stadium, it’s met with cheers of anticipation for the band’s arrival. Royal Blood kick off the set with new track Mountains at Midnight, released earlier this year, after which they play the alluring Come on Over. It’s hard not to notice the number of couples in the audience at this point.

The crowd cheers when Mike Kerr’s recognisable opening riff for Lights Out is played, and this is when the impressive lighting display is particularly effective, as it beams a bright red glow during the bridge of the song, much like in the music video.

The singer seems eager to let the fans know how much they love playing live shows and describes it as being, “Like gaffer tape to a fucking rocket, we never get bored of it,” perhaps in relation to the controversy the band were met with earlier this year at Radio 1’s Big Weekend.

Little Monster is greeted with by far the best reception of the night, and who could forget it? Even if you’re not a Royal Blood fan, you’d have to have been living under a rock not to feel instant familiarity, verging on nostalgia, from that riff. The pair play the equally identifiable huge tune Out of the Black to finish the gig.

The unusually slower song Waves kicks off the band’s welcome encore, and it’s a nice contrast to the noisier numbers that fill most of the setlist, leaving one wondering if they should do more of this kind of stuff. After the new track’s euphoric crescendo of an ending, Royal Blood breaks into Ten Tonne Skeleton and finally, another clear favourite, Figure it Out.

Royal Blood have some huge tunes and it’s difficult to deny they sound fantastic live, but it would be interesting to see if tracks like Waves are a sign of things to come for the band, which added a refreshing variation to an otherwise formidable set.

Hannah Broughton
Photos: Miguel de Melo

For further information and future events visit Royal Blood’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Shiner in the Dark here: