On September 8th, British rock duo Royal Blood released Back to the Water Below. A groovy, riff-heavy set of new songs, the record arrived as the act’s fourth studio album. Remarkably, it also marked the fourth time they’ve hit No. 1 on the UK chart, continuing their uniquely flawless commercial streak: four albums, four chart-toppers.
“Bananas is exactly what it is,” singer-bassist Mike Kerr told Heavy Consequence of the chart achievement prior to the band’s set at this year’s Louder than Life festival. “[But] that’s the thing about things that are bananas — it’s that, you don’t have much of an explanation for it. That’s when to use that word; you go, ‘Well this is bananas!'”
Whether it’s metaphorical bananas or simply the raw power of danceable, hard-hitting riffs, it’s an incredibly impressive feat, and one accomplished by a rock band without an official guitarist. Somehow, Royal Blood manages to create massive, arena-ready barn-burners based almost solely around Kerr’s signature bass playing and drummer Ben Thatcher’s booming backbeats.
September saw the band bring Back to the Water Below and their energized live show to the States, and after taking a brief break, they’re headed back for a second leg of the tour. Kicking off on Thursday (November 9th) in Los Angeles, the power duo will go on to hit cities like Seattle, Vancouver, Austin, and more before wrapping up back in California for a closing show in San Diego. Grab tickets to any of the upcoming shows here.
Before you run off to see Kerr and Thatcher make a crushing amount of noise, watch them chat with Heavy Consequence while at Louder than Life 2023 in the video above, where the two discuss Back to the Water Below, existing as a two-piece, and their incredible UK chart success.
Trouble viewing the video above? Watch on YouTube.
Royal Blood Remaining 2023 Tour Dates:
11/09 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
11/10 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
11/11 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
11/13 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
11/14 – Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
11/15 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
11/17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Union Event Center
11/18 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
11/20 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
11/21 – Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
11/22 – Austin, TX @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater
11/25 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
11/26 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
11/27 – San Diego, CA @ The Sound
