Skip to main content

Gig Review - Royal Blood with Support from At The Drive In and Black Honey - Leeds First Direct Arena


Last night Brighton rock duo; Royal Blood; played an enthralling show at Leeds First Direct Arena.

Kicking the night off was indie-rock group Black Honey. Their sound is driven by punky riffs, beefy bass, ebullient percussion and stentorian vocals.

Their instrumentals often adopt a blues or surf rock undertone, giving their songs a sating depth and a distinct sense of character.

The highlight of their set was their track 'Spinning Wheel'. Their enigmatic front woman Izzy B Phillips opened the track with her bewitching vocals, before the track exploded into an energetic frenzy of bold bass lines, aggressive percussion and surf rock inspired guitar riffs.




Up next was American punk-rock veterans At The Drive In. Their brand of heavy, raucous noise subdued the crowd, engulfing them in a electric atmosphere.

Their singer, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, emitted a radioactive stage presence. From jumping on top of the drum kit to throwing the mic stand around, the man didn't stand still for even a split-second. It was exciting and incredibly fun to watch and got the entire room thoroughly warmed up for the main event.



Then suddenly the arena was illuminated with red strobe lights and a ferocious guitar riff bellowed out. The crowd responded with a volcanic burst of cheers, screams and fists in the air.


Accompanying the band on stage was two soulful backing singers, whose powerful voices added an audacious depth to the harmonies.

This allowed their live performance to be as well composed as their albums, possessing an impressive range of harmonies and counter-melodies, producing a full bodied, herculean sound.

Their track 'Hole in your Heart' illustrated a suaver side to front man Mike Kerr, who played the brooding keyboard riff as well as his signature initiative breed of bass. He oozed sex appeal and had the entire venue hanging onto his every word.



Their second album really highlights how they've developed as a band. They've maintained the volume and grit of their debut album, but it's matured into a more sophisticated sound.

It's a fluent discography that provides a crowd with everything they could ever want. There's enough variety to maintain a lively energy but bold, indulgent rock is still at the very core of all their songs.

The band elevated their tracks to stadium fillers through a series of instrumentals, showcasing their their skilled musicianship and apparent passion. From elaborate drum solos that incorporated the occasional gong to vivid bass solos challenged every genre trope and that left you in awe.




The duo closed their set with 'Figure it Out', before returning to appease the crowd with a dynamic encore.  The played two iconic tracks from their first album; 'Ten tonne Skeleton' and 'Out of the Black'; immersing the crowd in a wave of boisterous rock.




Overall, it was a flawless performance, driven by a charismatic stage presence an abundance of infectiously catchy riffs. Royal Blood have most definitely found their own unique sound and are capable of producing numerous belt-it-out anthems, without ever falling into a sphere of repetitiveness.

I sincerely hope the gods are kind and allow Royal Blood to keep producing superb music for many years, if not decades, to come.



FOLLOW SOUNDS OF AN ECCENTRIC









Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Track of the Week - Sarajevo - The K's

Merseyside natives The K's kicked off 2018 by announcing that they had been signed to Republic Music Management. With a handful of sold-out headline shows already under their belt, their tongue-and-cheek indie tunes are earning them a loyal fan base and plenty of buzz. Their debut single 'Sarajevo' is an infectiously catchy and utterly charming track. The vocals are akin to a more in-tune Jamie T, giving their witty lyrics a warm ambiance.  The upbeat melody gives a nod to early 2000s indie, but the ferocious riffs and hearty bass lines give it plenty of originality.  The track has already achieved half a million streams on Spotify and it's a sure bet that there's bigger and better things on the horizon for The K's. FOLLOW SOUNDS OF AN ECCENTRIC FACEBOOK TWITTER INSTAGRAM
Post a Comment
Read more

Documentary: Grass Root - How music cities are saving grass root music venues

Last year, I had the pleasure of going around the UK creating an audio documentary for my degree's final project. I looked into how music city organisations are helping to preserve independent music venues in the UK, and the cultural significance of these bijoux venues. I thought it was an apt time to release this documentary, as many venues in the UK are currently struggling due to lockdown. The documentary explores the issues that venues have faced over the last decade, from high business rates to changes in planning laws. It can be difficult for these vital cultural hubs to stay open, without having to deal with the repercussions of a global pandemic. The Music Venue Trust has joined forces with venues across the nation, in a bid to make sure that they can keep their doors open and the music blasting post-lockdown. If you're in a position to donate to the 'Save our Venues' campaign, click here.  So without further ado, here is 'Grass Root - How m...
Post a Comment
Read more

ReBalance - Is Positive Discrimination towards Women in Music the way Forward?

The organisers of Reading and Leeds Festival, FestivalRepublic, have faced criticism in recent years for their male dominated line-ups. Melvin Benn, the managing director of Festival Republic,   told the Guardian that the reason behind theirmale-centric line ups was because "they sell tickets... if there was a female act in the rock genre that sold the same amount of tickets as any of the headline acts... I'd book them". However Benn recently announced that Festival Republic is launching a new initiative in 2018 that positively discriminates towards female artists. The Leeds based 'ReBalance' project will run for three years and each month will provide a female musician, solo artist or female fronted band with a week in a recording studio, with all the expenses, travel and accommodation paid for by Festival Republic. However, is positive discrimination the best way to showcase female talent and create a more equal music industry? On one hand ...
Post a Comment
Read more