Ben Thatcher (left) and Mike Kerr of UK-based rock duo Royal Blood performed at The Basement July 25.
Credit: Courtesy of Royal Blood
British rock band Royal Blood came in with a grand entrance, rocked the night away and left fans wanting more.
The Worn Flints, a rock band from Columbus, opened for Royal Blood Friday night at The Basement.
The opener consists of three members, Jake Smith on drums, Steven Trabulsi on bass and Kenny Stiegele on guitar, piano and lead vocals.
The Worn Flints played a six-song, 30-minute set (give or take on both quantities). And between the head-banging, jumping around on stage, Smith throwing out the peace sign to the crowd and Stiegele getting up-close and personal with the fans, the band got the crowd to come alive.
At one point, Stiegele jumped up on the drum set while Smith played.
The crowd of about 70 people, ranging from young to middle-aged adults adults, were throwing their hands up in the air and dancing to the music.
As people continued to fill the venue, Royal Blood took the stage.
In a 10-song, 45-minute set, Royal Blood did not let their energy die.
The band consists of two members, Ben Thatcher, on drums, and Michael Kerr, on bass and lead vocals.
Kerr kept the fans going by making the crowd cheer and clap along to the duo’s music. Thatcher also had fun on stage rocking away.
At one point, Thatcher took ice cubes and threw them at a crew member standing to the side of the stage.
He then stepped away from the drums and ran to the side railing of the venue, jumped up on it and reached out to the crowd to get them to cheer.
Kerr also got personal with the fans by playing his guitar on the edge of the stage while the audience reached out to touch him.
As Royal Blood performed their last song of the night, Thatcher stood up from the drums, kicked over his chair and gave the set a good beating while Kerr jumped around on stage, playing and singing.
As Royal Blood left the stage, the fans went crazy. And the cheering didn’t stop, which prompted the guys to return to stage.
“We don’t normally do this,” Kerr said, as the two played one encore song for the screaming crowd.
After the show, both bands came out to meet with fans.
The greatest part about Royal Blood’s show is that they didn’t hold back. They opened up on stage, with their British accents and all. By the looks and sound of the crowd, it was clear that Royal Blood was a hit.
