Live Review: Royal Blood - Manchester Ritz - 03.11.14
It’s a special occasion for Manchester gig-goers, Royal Blood are in town. Their debut album was the fastest selling rock album since Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, selling over 40,000 copies in its first week, and the crowd are anticipating a magnificent night. For some of them, this is their first time seeing the Brighton-based duo.
They are welcomed on stage with a hair-raising ovation. Bassist/singer Mike Kerr approaches his huge amp rig, starts to establish some feedback and dives straight into ‘Hole’. The crowd bop their heads but don’t seem to engage. A poor decision opening with a B-side. ‘Come On Over’ is up next, followed by ‘You Can Be So Cruel’, and still the crowd are pretty stationary.
Things liven up with the introduction of ‘Figure It Out’, a more renowned number of theirs. The circle pits open up, people are being tossed, pushed and thrown around.The gig is in full swing now. Subsequent songs ‘Blood Hands’ and the new single ‘Ten Tonne Skeleton’ have been adopted by the crowd as their own.
Ben Thatcher stands on the thrown of his kit with his arms aloft. The crowd gladly respond, opening up a mosh pit that covers the majority of the venue. The opening riff of ‘Loose Change’ reverberates around the Ritz. Kerr thanks the Mancunian faithful and introduces their last song of the evening; ‘Out Of The Black’. Thatcher climbs the barrier and dives onto the first rows whilst Kerr intricately fingerpicks the riff to the song as he waits for the drummer to regain his position. As soon as his stick hits the snare, carnage ensues.
They applaud the crowd from the balconies to the stalls and lethargically walk off stage after an energetic performance. The lighting bursts back on and techies start to dismantle the onstage gear. Soaked teens filter through the back doors onto Whitworth Street West in awe of the performance they have just witnessed. All in all, a royal performance at The Ritz.
8.0/10
Matthew Cooper