Royal Blood
7th December 2023
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Nikita Weir.
It has been five long years since Royal Blood has graced us with their presence and judging by the enthusiasm of the audience to snap up every piece of available merch last night, Tāmaki Makaurau were certainly more than ready to bask in their musical delights once again.
Opening the evening were the fantastic duo Elliot & Vincent, who have been turning heads all over the local scene. Comprising of Elliot Finn on drums and vocals and Vincent Cherry on guitar, these two bring something quite unexpected with a sound that encompasses everything from goth to punk wrapped up in a rugged knapsack of distortion.
Do not be fooled by Finn’s quiet demeanour, on drums they are a powerhouse, described as having a ‘tom-heavy drum style’, Finn provides the rhythm to Cherry’s incredible work on the guitar that defies any particular genre and instead makes it completely their own. Stay on the lookout for these two, and try and catch them in a smaller venue, which is where they really shine.
Feeling very spoiled tonight as Royal Blood had not one but two local support acts, next on the bill were Racing, a band who deserve to be on a lot more international support slots; anyone who saw their headline show last year at Powerstation could certainly attest to this.
Comprised of four members, and led by vocalist Edward Knowles who embodies everyone from Bon Scott to Jarvis Cocker all in one meatsuit, Racing is a band that live and breath rock and roll and who make you want to dance from the moment they step into the room.
Knowles is one of those rare breeds of vocalists that you can’t tear your eyes away from, his style one of his own, his vocals on point, both melodic with enough of a rebellious growl in them to give many of their tracks just the right amount of bite. Rock n Roll obviously features heavily in their sound, but there are healthy doses of funk and pop with influences of 70’s psychedelic tossed in. Sven Pettersen on guitar compliments Knowles completely (not surprising really as they were in The Checks together, so the foundations are already well built) and often steals the show with his epic solos that hold and then build ready for Knowles to knock them out of the park.
Add in Daniel Barrett on bass and of course Izaak Houston on drums and Racing are a party in a bottle just waiting to explode. This could be seen throughout the crowd while ‘Motel Pool’ was being delivered or better yet when set closer ‘Run Wild’ was gifted to the crowd, complete with extended solo and a chorus that everyone sang a long to while pogoing on the spot.
When Royal Blood arrived on stage at 9:30pm everyone was primed and ready to go, having already been treated to some of the best live music Auckland has to offer. Stepping forth from the darkness, Mike Kerr cut a silhouette worthy of a magazine cover, his all black ensemble complete with aviator glasses the epitome of style. His partner in crime Ben Thatcher received thunderous applause as he settled in behind the kit in t-shirt and cap, acknowledging those in attendance as he did so.
Hailing from Worthing, Royal Blood formed in 2011 and have ridden a wave of popularity that has seen them revered for their iconic sound. Sure, there are other rock duos, but none quite like these two, their chemistry and ability to write hit after hit undeniable. But it is Kerr’s signature sound that is what makes Royal Blood who they are, Kerr using an array of pedals and amps to ensure that his bass guitar sounds like both a bass and a guitar simultaneously. Musician magic!
Never a band to muck around, Royal Blood kicked straight into ‘Mountains at Midnight’ and ‘Come on Over’, the fans down front instantly throwing themselves into it. With only two members there is a lot of space to try and occupy and yet Kerr and Thatcher do so effortlessly, Kerr’s larger than life persona often filling the room.
Having recently released their fourth album ‘Back to the Water Below’, Royal Blood are now well versed in how to play to the crowd, however it was nice to see that an addition has been made to the band for live performances since they were last here; Darren James on keyboards and backing vocals certainly elevating many of the songs.
‘Boilermaker’ was the first song of the night to get some serious headbanging going, that rhythmical slightly distorted beat emanating from Kerr’s guitar just driving the crowd forward; ‘Lights Out’ only keeping them there as they pressed closer to the barrier. Ditching the jacket, Kerr and Thatcher began to kick it into high gear as they smashed out ‘Shiner in the Dark’, ‘Trouble’s Coming’ which features more of those infectious rhythms that crawl into your hips and ‘Typhoons’ which almost finished the audience off there and then (yes, the Typhoons album is just gold).
Taking a moment to let both themselves and the fans catch their breath, Kerr spoke of how it had been five years and two records since they had been on our shores and how the energy in the room was giving him the energy to deliver such a performance. Pointing out that at no point had they grown up at all, Kerr advised that it was in fact Darren James’s birthday (hence the helium ballon tied to one side of his keyboard), the crowd quickly taking up the cue to sing Happy Birthday.
If attendees thought the first half was good, they were about to blown away as the second half smashed the foot down on the accelerator, ‘One Trick Pony’ with all it’s glorious swagger laying down the law before ‘Little Monster’ (easily the biggest hit of the night) absolutely went off.
Thatcher then decided it was his time to show everyone just why he is one of the best out there at the moment, with a drum solo that looked like just another day in the office for Thatcher but that sent shivers of goodness down everyone else’s spines, the solo an intro for ‘How Did We Get So Dark?’ where Kerr’s almost falsetto vocals really bring the song home.
‘Loose Change’ was dedicated to the guys in Queenstown that did not kill Kerr, “Thanks for not killing me” he laughed into the microphone, one wishing that he had gone into the details of that anecdote a little more. Thatcher attempting to get a circle pit going and achieving a bloody good mosh pit for his efforts. Set closer ‘Out of the Black’ seeing the arena turn into a dramatic sea of dusky lights from which Kerr emerged like a giant, the tag line hitting the eardrums like a freight train, the fans already begging for more before they had even left the stage amidst a magnificent cacophony of sound.
The encore consisted of a double header that put smiles on everyone’s faces, ‘Ten Tonne Skeleton’ and ‘Figure it Out’ once again seeing the audience sing and stomp along with relish, Kerr even disappearing at one point into the stands for some up close and personal time.
Ensuring that they showed their appreciation to one and all by traversing the length of the stage, Royal Blood left with the love of Aotearoa serenading them.
Royal Blood continue to prove – just like they did five years ago – that rock sure as hell ain’t dead and that Kerr is still a musical deity of the highest order.
Royal Blood:
Racing:
Were you there at Spark Arena for this high energy rock gig? Or have you seen Royal Blood perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Mountains at Midnight
- Come on Over
- Boilermaker
- Lights Out
- Shinier in the Dark
- Supermodel Avalanches
- Trouble’s Coming
- Typhoons
- Pull Me Through
- One Trick Pony
- Little Monster
- How Did We Get So Dark?
- Tell Me When It’s Too Late
- Loose Change
- Out of the Black
- Ten Tonne Skeleton [encore]
- Figure It Out [encore]
Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.
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