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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









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