Royal Blood frontman Mike Kerr may be in no hurry to play another show organised by UK radio station Radio 1, after the crowd at Sunday's Big Weekend show in Dundee, Scotland, failed to greet to the band's performance with acceptable levels of enthusiasm.
Royal Blood were booked to appear on a bill at Camperdown Country Park that also included pop icon Lewis Capaldi, alt-rockers Wet Leg, Nothing But Thieves and Inhaler, plus nu gen sensation Cassyette, but a compilation of footage uploaded to Twitter (below) reveals that the band's seven-song set failed to win over the estimated 85,000 crowd.
At the beginning of the clip, Kerr addresses crowd. "I guess I should introduce ourselves, as no one knows who we are. We're called Royal Blood, and this is rock music. Who likes rock music?”
After receiving a lukewarm response, responds, “Nine people. Brilliant."
"We're having to clap ourselves because that was so pathetic," he says later, before addressing a camera man. "Will you clap for us? Will you clap? You’re busy. Can you clap? Yes, even he’s clapping. What does that say about you?"
At the climax of the set, Kerr slams his guitar to the ground before walking off, middle fingers raised in the direction of the audience, who are almost certainly more excited about Lewis Capaldi's upcoming set of winsome pop classics than they are about Worthing's premier riff-driven rock duo.
Royal Blood making their feelings known about the crowd at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend yesterday 😂 pic.twitter.com/Meh6GZnByJMay 29, 2023
Last week Royal Blood released Mountains At Midnight, the first single from their upcoming fourth album Back to the Water Below.
"I think this record was about letting the ideas take us where they needed to go," ays drummer Ben Thatcher. "If there was a song that was calling us to do something that wasn’t typically what we’re known for, that’s where we’re going to go. The songs are in charge and if that means having a record that’s quite varied that’s what we’re going to go for, rather than trying to shoehorn everything into the same world.
"As a result, we’ve made a record that’s a bit of a rollercoaster. It’s everything we could do."
Back to the Water Below is released on September 8. The band are on tour throughout the year (dates below).
Royal Blood tour dates 2023
Jun 03: Wiener Stadion Wiener Neustadt, Austria*
Jun 05: Nijmegen Doomroosje, Netherlands
Jun 06: Amsterdam Paradiso, Netherlands
Jun 07: The Hague Malieveld, Netherlands*
Jun 09: Cologne Rhein Energie Stadion, Germany*
Jun 10: Ulm Ulmer Zelt, Germany
Jun 11: Berlin Huxley's Neue Welt, Germany
Jun 13: Mannheim Zeltfestival Rhein Neckar, Germany
Jun 14: Nancy L'autre Canal, France
Jun 15: Lyon Groupama Stadium, France*
Jun 17: Santiago de Compostela, O Son do Camiño, Spain
Jun 20: Huddersfield, John Smith’s Stadium*
Jun 21-25: Glastonbury Festival, UK
Jun 25: Milton Keynes Bowl, UK*
Jun 29: Bordeaux Matmut Atlantique, France*
Jun 30: Toulouse Le Bikini, France
Jul 02: Lisbon Campo Pequeno, Portugal
Jul 04: Santander Campos De Sport De El Sardinero, Spain*
Jul 07: Clermont-Ferrand La Coopérative de Mai, France
Jul 08: Paris Stade de France, France*
Jul 09: Glasgow TRNSMT Festival, UK
Jul 23: Oxford Truck Festival, UK
Jul 27-30: Kendal Kendal Calling, UK
Jul 28-30: Derbyshire Y NOT? Festival, UK
Jul 29: Brighton Beach, UK
Sep 16: Asbury Park Sea.Hear.Now Festival, NJ
Sep 21: Louisville Louder Than Life Festival, KY
Oct 20: Manchester, O2 Apollo, UK
Oct 22: Stockton Globe, UK
Oct 24: London Eventim Apollo, UK
Oct 25: Liverpool Uni The Mountford Hall, UK
Oct 26: Wolverhampton The Civic at The Halls, UK
Oct 27: Portsmouth Guildhall, UK
Oct 29: Belfast The Telegraph Building, UK
Oct 30: Dublin 3Olympia Theatre, Ireland
* supporting Muse
