Photo of Ben Thatcher of Royal Blood by Laura Jerele
I told myself I was not going to say “how do two musicians make such a big sound,” but seriously! How do Royal Blood always bring such a huge sound and show with only two people? As cliche as that sounds, it’s worth saying because their talents cannot be overstated with the huge performance by singer-bassist Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher. This show was loud and full of echoey distortion and really, really loud drumming. The crowd was full of massively loyal fans who knew their catalog so well that they sang along with incredible volume and filled the Pageant like some sort of rock and roll choir.
Bad Nerves opened the show with their trademark attitude, youth, and energy, very befitting of a burgeoning British band with the intention of ruling the power pop genre. Zero intimidation and full of attitude, they’re an incredibly fun band to watch while being sucked into their hooky songs. Full of talent and swagger, watch for them as they’ll be headlining tours in no time. | Laura Jerele
