“A lot has modified, however in the case of the music, nothing has”

Royal Blood have spoken to NME at Obtain Pageant 2024 and mentioned what it was prefer to revisit their self-titled debut 10 years on, in addition to reflecting on their time on the highway with Queens Of The Stone Age.

The duo – comprised of frontman and bassist Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher – caught up with NME at this 12 months’s version of the pageant, shortly earlier than they took to the principle stage for a career-spanning set.

Not solely did the slot mark their first time again on the pageant in a decade, it additionally got here as the 2 are able to play some intimate London reveals, celebrating the tenth anniversary of their self-titled debut album.

Within the dialog, the duo informed NME about what it was prefer to look again at their debut album this far down the road, and the way they understand it now in comparison with their newest launch, 2023’s ‘Again To The Water Beneath’. In addition they recall their time on the highway and rising friendship with Queens Of The Stone Age, who they first joined forces with again in 2017 and not too long ago joined on the highway earlier this 12 months, as they toured throughout the US.

NME: Hello Royal Blood, what’s it prefer to be again at Obtain?

Mike Kerr: “It’s nice to be again, we haven’t been right here in 10 years, however I truly performed right here with my first band in 2008, round then. I like being right here. Good reminiscences, it’s an excellent environment on the market already.”

Ben Thatcher: “It's nonetheless the primary day although and it’s already raining. I’d prefer to see these individuals’s faces on the Sunday afternoon once they’re on the comedown.”

Not solely is it 10 years because you first carried out right here, it’s additionally 10 years because you shared your debut album. What has it been like wanting again?

M.Ok: “It’s been good wanting again. We’ve been prepping for these anniversary reveals arising however to be sincere, there are solely two or three songs off the debut report that we don’t play dwell fairly frequently. It actually remains to be an album that we dwell and breathe every single day. I believe we’re simply stoked that we nonetheless get to do that every single day. That’s been the most important take we’ve received from reminiscing a few decade in the past.”

Has your notion of the album modified now in comparison with while you first shared it?

M.Ok: “I believe the album feels similar to the way it did again then to be sincere. But it surely’s all the pieces round it that’s modified very dramatically. I believe going from the age of twenty-two and transferring a decade on, that’s a transformative time in any human being’s life anyway! Not to mention to be on this band and to have been on the highway for the reason that starting. It’s bizarre seeing how a lot has modified, however in the case of the music, nothing has.”

What’s it prefer to revisit the debut not lengthy after releasing ‘Again To The Water Beneath’?

M.Ok: “I Assume ‘Again To The Water Beneath’ is the sort of album that we by no means may have made 10 years in the past. That album, like each different album, is solely primarily based on the expertise that we had earlier than. It’s by no means going to be one thing you should purchase or one thing you possibly can cheat your approach by means of – it’s simply born out of being in a band and being an artist. That report for us was solely capable of be made as a result of we had these experiences over the previous 10 years.

“Each are a part of the journey and we’re nonetheless very happy with each. I simply hope we are able to look again at this one a decade on and really feel the identical approach as we do now concerning the debut.”

What can we count on from the tenth anniversary reveals?

B.T: “We’re going to be enjoying each single tune of the primary report, however we’re additionally going to be enjoying different tunes off different information. I can’t actually give rather more away than that however considered one of them can be going down on Mike’s birthday… so we’re additionally going to be celebrating that.”

You’ve simply come off tour with tonight’s headliner, Queens Of The Stone Age. What was it like being on the highway with them?

B.T: “It was completely superb as a result of they’re the very best band on this planet. We received to tour with them first again in 2017 and we had a good time then. We then did some stuff with them in America earlier this 12 months and the bromance remains to be on fireplace. We nonetheless love these guys and we nonetheless assume they’re the very best band. We’re going to have a very good time watching them tonight.”

M.Ok:  “We realized do Sudoku whereas on the highway with them! They’re truly all into puzzles so we’ve realized about that from being on tour with them. Crosswords, puzzles…”

B.T: “Yeah all of them have their little crossword books and attempt to full them earlier than each other.”

M.Ok: “These people love Scrabble. I might say it’s rock n’roll however that wouldn’t get me many Scrabble factors – I don’t even know if it’s classed as two phrases or three.”

The place would you say you at the moment are as a band?

M.Ok: “For us, there’s by no means been the sensation of ‘We’ve arrived at the place we need to be’. It should all the time really feel like there’s extra music to make and extra reveals to play. As soon as that feeling goes away, that’s the tip. It’s that need to hold going that retains the band going, and we hope we’re all the time on this perpetual state of wanting an increasing number of. It’s extremely poisonous, not very wholesome, however we adore it.”

Who else are you wanting ahead to seeing at Obtain… aside from Queens Of The Stone Age?

BT: “It’s all about Queens Of The Stone Age and this band I’ve heard of, Royal Blood. It’s all about these tonight. Busted and Wheatus are additionally up there for me, however we are able to’t see them as a result of we’ll be enjoying at the moment. What a conflict.”

Discover remaining tickets for Royal Blood’s UK reveals here.