Royal Blood + Crawlers

Royal Blood wasted no time diving full throttle into head bangable smash hit “Out of the Black”, with drummer Ben even jumping into the crowd to open the pits himself.

Royal Blood + Crawlers UEA LCR 12/06/24

It has been an unusually gloomy, rainy and cold June this year. Some might credit this to the Atlantic jet stream winds billowing throughout the country. But I think it’s no coincidence that Alternative Rock behemoths Royal Blood are storming through the UK with a hurricane like ferocity, touring in support of their 2023 album “Back to The Water Below”. If anyone can bring thunder and rain upon a city, it’s them.

The effervescent and vibrant Liverpudlian rockers Crawlers opened the proceedings, commanding the stage as if they were the headliners. Lead singer Holly Minto commanded the stage with a captivating prowess, belting through a rapid fire set of grungy rock-pop bangers. All the members had an admirable chemistry on stage that bands decades into their career aren’t even capable of. I am sure they’ll be back soon enough to sell out the LCR for themselves as their career will inevitably grow.

The main men of the night Royal Blood wasted no time diving full throttle into head bangable smash hit “Out of the Black”, with drummer Ben even jumping into the crowd to open the pits himself. The screeching guitars and pummelling drums sonically engulfed the room. They kept up the pace with the evocative “Come on Over”.

Some might criticise Royal Blood for having their songs all sound the same. Witnessing them live it’s clear to see they’ve found a distinctive formula of creating a tidal wave of rip-roaring rock and roll that excels in a live setting. It’s impossible not to give into their energy.

The set was excellently curated featuring glitzy rock and roll from their latest album of “Supermodel Avalanches” and “Shiner in the Dark”, with plenty of stadium ready sing along moments like the 1,2 punch of “Little Monster” (during which Ben took his chance to take the limelight with an immaculate drum solo) followed by “How Did We Get So Dark?”. Seeing them in such an intimate venue was a real treat as fans got to closely observe the band’s artistic flare up close.

“Ten Tonne Skeleton” and “Figure It Out” was the perfect encore sending fans out on a high.

Following massive commercial and critical success during their debut album, Royal Blood seemed to have faded a bit from the public eye. With many patrons buying tickets for their multitude of hit singles, the entire set didn’t once dip in quality. And I’m sure many casual fans tonight have been hooked for years to come.