On October 16 British duo Royal Blood played The Marlin Room at Webster Hall along with Kan Wakan. It took me until the end of the show to realize it, but it was a special show simply for the reason that Royal Blood are already too big to play small places like that. As UK fans have been aware of for some time, these guys are destined for much bigger things.
L.A.’s Kan Wakan got things started with a stunning opening set that got the crowd more than warmed up. In fact, we were all left stunned at how powerful a sound that these guys were able to summon up. There’s this haunting atmosphere that they’re able to create that just leaves you in this sorta self-evaluating daze that is hard to shake. It’s tough for bands to captivate in such a way live, especially as an opener. Kudos to you guys, Kan Wakan.
In the weeks leading up to Royal Blood’s appearance at The Marlin Room, I had been hearing a lot about the duo. Such as: Arctic Monkeys’ Matt Helders wore their shirt on stage, that their self-titled album was the fast selling debut British album in 3 years, and also received a Mercury Prize nomination. So clearly I had some expectations, but even I wasn’t quite ready for what I witnessed in that room that night.
The duo of bassist/singer Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher create a ton of noise live, that sort of rock and roll that just hits hard in all the right ways. Are they reinventing the genre, or creating something we haven’t heard before? Not quite. But they do what they do so damn well, that you just don’t care (think if The Black Keys, Jack White and DFA1979 had a giant orgy in a dirty garage). They have the stage presence and charisma of a band that’s been around for years. When they played tracks like “Out Of The Black” or “Figure It Out” they had complete and utter control of the room, and unleashed all kinds of rock and roll glory on all in attendance. Even if their album didn’t captivate you in the same way, you’re bound to be blown away by their live show. Royal Blood are a band meant to be seen live.
Based on what I saw that night, they’re the real deal. There’s no doubt in my mind that much bigger venues are coming in no time. We’ll look back on their days playing shows like this and laugh, because it will seem too good to be true. All signs point to Royal Blood being one of the next big British rock bands to take over the scene.
Find photos of Royal Blood and Kan Wakan, posted below.
Royal Blood:
Kan Wakan:
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