Snarling bass, thunderous drums. It’s a formula that Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher of Royal Blood have perfected ever since the release of their trailblazing self-titled debut in 2014, a record that became one of the fastest-selling rock debuts of the century. Twelve years and four UK number one albums later, Kerr and Thatcher have established themselves as an arena-filling, festival-headlining duo. Throughout that time, they’ve continued to experiment and expand their sound. After their brilliant sophomore effort, How Did We Get So Dark?, arrived in 2017 alongside a momentous Glastonbury Festival slot, the pair changed pace with their self-produced third LP, Typhoons, in 2021. The record tapped into danceable grooves that they’d previously thought weren’t possible for the band and led to 1883’s first interview with Kerr.
Royal Blood followed it with Back To The Water Below in 2023, another record that boasted more melodic moments and introduced keys across several songs. After wrapping up the album campaign in August 2024, the pair took some well-deserved time away from the studio following years of cementing their reputation and endless gigging. Those four months gave them a chance to pause and reflect on a stratospheric rise and a whirlwind decade. Along the way, there have been plenty of amusing antics on and off stage, but more recently, they’ve also marked some significant personal milestones. Kerr, now seven years sober, got engaged, while Thatcher welcomed his first son into the world earlier this year.
Now, they’ve emerged stronger than ever with their fifth studio album, Dead Company, which lands on November 6th via Warner Records. Born from a desire to create their fastest and heaviest record yet, the pair focused on finessing their material before stepping into the studio. The result is a full-throttle experience that showcases Royal Blood at the peak of their powers.
In conversation with 1883 Magazine, Royal Blood discuss Dead Company, the Gallagher brothers, navigating the highs and lows of performing live, and more.
Mike, Ben, thanks for your time today. This is our second chat with Royal Blood, we last spoke to Mike in the lead up to Typhoons back in 2021. What would you both say have been the biggest lessons you’ve learned since then, even with the last record, and how have they shaped the new album?
Mike Kerr: It’s a good question. We obviously made a whole record in between Typhoons and this one, I guess there’s the studio aspect of it. Learning how to kind of capture the essence of the song without overworking it. I think with this one, one thing that we learned from making Typhoons and Back To The Water Below was really putting more emphasis on the work you’ve done before you hit record. Technology is so amazing now, you can almost construct an entire song without having never played it live. You can kind of just piece everything together, and that’s great. We’ve definitely made songs like that.
But I think with us because we’re such a live band, we’ve made sure what we’re playing really feels good, and all those kinds of intricacies are worked out before. So, when you go to record, not that it’s easy, but you’ve put the work in where it counts the most. That for me was the biggest learning curve from the past couple of records.
Sure. Ben, is there anything you would want to add to that?
Ben Thatcher: You learn stuff with each record, so going into Back To The Water Below, it was a side of Royal Blood that no one had really seen or experienced, and it was something that we’ve always had in the locker. I think the whole story of Royal Blood has been building on our sound and building on our production, our ideas, and never kind of repeating ourselves. Both Typhoons and Back To The Water Below were progressions and places that we needed to go with the band before we could do this new record.
And without those records, we wouldn’t be here and doing this this record. It’s a progression for us, and then coming back to what we love doing most, playing live music and being mainly on the heavier side of things.
The album’s title track, Dead Company, is finally out. How and why did you decide to name the album after this track? I always find the decision process so interesting.
MK: When we were working with Mike Lythgoe, who did the artwork, we had a rough idea of the brief, wanting to re-involve our tiger image and evolve it. But we didn’t actually have an album title for him to work with. But we did give him the track listing. He was using ‘Dead Company’ as the placeholder for the image. And while the image was being developed, I think we’d almost become so used to the marriage of that title and the image. When we started auditioning other alternatives, it always just felt wrong. So, it was kind of just by coincidence, really. It was almost like the album just named itself.
Going off a bit what you were saying earlier Ben, and in a recent interview, you both spoke about how, during the writing process for each record, a big challenge is to not tread old ground and to have the ‘limitation’ of just bass and drums serve the band.
I know a lot was worked out in a practice room before going into the studio for Dead Company, but what were some of the drum fills, bass lines, and production tricks that helped unlock the rest of the album once you got going? Was there anything that helped in the rehearsal room?
BT: We had four months off from not making any music at all. So, when we were coming into the studio together, we had all this built-up energy and excitement about writing a new record. We had no idea what to write really. It came really quickly, but we just started jamming together. ‘Swallow The Bomb’ was the first thing that we did, and it was that drum beat and Mike playing along, and it was it was this energy of playing faster, harder, and just making each other laugh with the drum fills and the riffs. We make songs in batches, and we’ve always kind of done it like this, three or four songs, and then you kind of move on. This is how we recorded the first record, and how we’ve always done things, really.
I remember at the end of the batch of this one, there was the song ‘Ten Over Ten’, and that was just a drum beat that I had sent over to Mike and thought it was ridiculous. The thing that he sent back was completely the opposite thing to where I thought the song would go. So, it was just bouncing those ideas off each other, having fun with it and challenging each other with all those things that made it interesting for us and new.
Speaking about the time off after the Back To The Water Below campaign, you finally felt in a place where you could take some time off after more than a decade of hard work. What did that time look like for you? What did life look like away from Royal Blood?
MK: It didn’t really feel that long, to be honest, because I, I think, the last show we would have played in that year was maybe around August, and probably by December we were kind of gearing up again to get back together. But it definitely was needed. I did some traveling, which I found really useful. I think it was mainly just going back to living our normal lives, seeing our families, friends, and cooking dinner [laughs]and nothing particularly out of the ordinary. Just taking off the pressure of getting back to making music for a bit.
I think it allowed us to, first of all, really miss it, but then create that kind of anticipation and energy, so that when we came back, we were really charged up. I think probably after a month, we probably were like, ‘Oh, I want to go back and get in the studio’, but it was a self-restraint. We’ve always said it’s almost it’s like revving the engine with the brakes on. That’s the kind of feeling. It felt like we were building up that pressure. So yeah, when we got to it, there was a full battery to work with.
Last year, you both managed to see Oasis live. Did you meet the Gallagher brothers at the shows?
Both: No! [laughs]
Maybe next year, if you’re going to Knebworth!
BT: We’ve met them both on separate occasions during the last you know ten years of touring and stuff. I think we met Liam at a festival out in in California, and Noel at the Brit Awards or something like that. They’re both obviously great characters and have a lot of banter. But yeah, yet to meet them together.
You’ve played so many gigs and festivals over the years, but there is one that stands out as a really special moment in time because I don’t think it could ever happen again. Finsbury Park, 2014, you’re on the bill with Miles Kane, Tame Impala and Arctic Monkeys. Looking back, it was just an incredible lineup. So, what was it like to be part of that, especially as it was towards the start of your career.
MK: Pretty nerve-wracking because I think around that time, we had just never played in front of more than maybe 1,000 people before. So that felt like a real gear jump for us, it was pretty surreal. But yeah, you’re right, looking back and seeing that lineup is pretty amazing. Maybe we should do an anniversary Finsbury Park show with the exact same lineup.
BT: But in reverse order.
I was going to say, with all the work that you’ve put in over the years and where the band’s reputation is now… I don’t know what you guys think but surely Royal Blood could put on its own Finsbury Park gig now.
MK: Oh right, I’m not very good at gauging that stuff [laughs]. I never know how big we are, but that would be obviously great.
Who would be on the lineup if it happened?
MK: Ben, any ideas?
BT: I think we’d just have to, like we just said, yeah!
MK: Tame Impala, Arctic Monkeys, Miles Kane.
BT: We could do it in a smaller park as well, couldn’t we?
MK: Yeah, it doesn’t have to be that big.
BT: There’s a park in Brighton called Preston Park. We could do it in maybe. That’s still quite big actually. There’s a dog park down my road we could do it in. There’s shit everywhere though, so maybe not [laughs].
You both know how difficult it is to succeed in the music industry, and you’ve both been involved in projects before Royal Blood became a thing. So, you know how good management can make such a difference to a band early in their career. Would you be willing to talk a little about how and when Wildlife Entertainment came into your lives? I just find the industry so interesting, and it’s the sort of thing fans/the public wouldn’t know about.
MK: Yeah, we were lucky enough to be introduced to Wildlife pretty early on. We had a publishing deal, two or three songs recorded, and we’d played a bunch of local shows, but that was it. So, we were very early doors and still writing songs. But we met them around that period. I think for us, we just felt really lucky because we really respected the other bands that they looked after and the nature of the careers that they had and still have.
I think for us, we sensed that we were going into the deep end [laughs] and didn’t really know anything about the music industry. The only thing I think we had a bit of a grasp on is how to play together and how to perform live. Everything else just felt really unknown. We weren’t clued up at all, so I think it gave us the kind of peace of mind and assurance that we were being looked after, and we were going to be guided because we didn’t know anything. We still don’t really, definitely a bit more.
During our previous chat, Mike and I spoke a little about the massive highs and lows that touring musicians can sometimes go through. You’ve had these huge moments, Glastonbury in 2017, Reading in 2019, headlining Truck Festival in 2023, and then you come off stage and have to go back into real life mode. Mike, you said previously that you tend to get used to that feeling, or have tried to carry that level of energy off stage.
What’s it like for you both now? I believe, Mike, you travel with your partner for gigs. Ben, are you going to travel with your wife and son for shows in the future? Does having your family around make it easier to navigate those feelings when you come back down to normal life?
MK: Yeah, I think having partners around always gives a sense of grounding, but I think I think a lot of it is just experience from doing it a lot. When you first start playing shows, it’s really like adrenaline management, I would say. There’s an insane amount of nerves and adrenaline that come before playing, and then there’s, like you say, the kind of aftermath of playing a gig.
I think as time goes on, I kind of believe that touring should be treated almost like a sport. You know, physically and mentally preparing before a tour, and then having tools to kind of use before a show and after, it doesn’t have to be such a roller coaster of emotions. It can be manageable. I think a lot of that comes down to just being fortunate to have been able to do this for so long. The stage becomes a sort of actually a place of calm and peace, weirdly, because it’s time to play our songs, connect with each other as musicians and connect with the audience. That’s the bit we’re kind of there for. Anything else around it, I think can become sort of draining.
Like interviews for example [laughs], Ben, anything you want to add given you’re a dad now?
BT: Yeah, I’m only new to the dad scene, so he hasn’t been with us on tours or anything like that, and it’s really not the place for him right now. He’s too small, and his bedtime’s way too early. I think there’s a bit of this energy, the nerves and the adrenaline, which is really healthy to have because you are doing something that’s amazing. We are so lucky to be able to do this still.
I think it’s really good to be excited about walking up onto a stage and being able to do what we do. And you’re going to naturally have times after where you can’t quite switch off because you’ve just done something that’s really unusual in the real world, and you’ve become this almost godlike character on stage, where you’ve become a more exaggerated version of yourself.
And then you have to find your way back to being yourself. But like Mike said, we’ve done this for so long now that it gets easier. And as you get older, you understand yourself a lot better and understand what you need to do to relax and how to get prepared for the next show.
I personally can’t wait for fans to hear ‘Take Em All’ and ‘Tapping Out’ off the new album. Will they make the setlist? There are so many great songs to fit across all five records, so surely it’s a tough job working out what makes the cut.
BT: Possibly. I think it gets easier the more songs we have. When we were touring the first album we just played the first album. So, as time has gone on, we’ve built this setlist, we know what goes down well live. We’ve trialled and errored a lot of the songs.
So with this new record, I feel excited about playing a lot of these songs, it’s going to be really hard to leave any of them out because they have this high energy I know the crowd will respond to really well. But you need those other moments from albums like Typhoons or Back To The Water Below where you can have ebbs and flows of the set. You just need all of that. But the new record is written to play live, so we will see how we go.
If you don’t mind then, are there any songs which aren’t being released as singles which you are particularly excited to play live?
MK: I think like Ben said, all of them. Before we even came to a decision on what songs were going to be singles, we felt equally excited about every track on the record, it was hard to even pick the singles to be honest with you.
I think ‘Take Em All’ I would like to play, it probably has a different gear from some of the other tracks on the record. But it’s hard to pick a favourite at the minute.
BT: ‘The Closer’ is going to be good as well because it has a little bit more to it on the production side of things that we’d been working out how to do live. We have our friend Darren [Darren James, touring keyboardist] who plays with us live, that song is feeling really good in the rehearsal room.
Ben, my friend James Gillingham is an incredible drummer and also lives in Brighton. He’s bumped into you once or twice over the years and has always said you’re the nicest guy ever and I believe him. You’ve been able to rub shoulders with a lot of drumming legends, is there one interaction that has meant the most or really stood out for you?
BT: Oh gosh, can I name three or four?
Yeah of course, anyone you want!
BT: One of the first was Lars Ulrich. Being a fan of Metallica, seeing the documentaries, and having an opinion on Lars anyway before I had met him. He can rub off people in a different way through his style. He’s a character, he’s the biggest metal drummer there is. My perception of him was very different when I actually met him, he’s the kindest, sweetest man. He was really into Royal Blood, took us out in San Franciso, and just fun. Such a good energy, he would definitely be one of them.
Taylor Hawkins, another guy who I’ve been lucky to tour with and I learned so much from. His energy on tour was absolutely unbelievable.
Jon Theodore is just such a dude. He’s one of my favourite drummers on record and off record, seeming him live is unbelievable.
Tommy Lee would definitely be up there just as he’s an absolute legend and is just so funny. So it was really great to meet him as well.
Mike, I love that you convinced your dad to perform at a few Royal Blood shows in the past, and I believe you both did a tour around America before. I’ve gone to the US before with my dad before. How were those experiences for you? Family is important of course.
MK: It took a lot of bribing. Yeah, it was for my dad’s 60th, we did a road trip starting in New Orleans. We had a red truck that had the walkie talkie thing [laughs], and it was a ten-day adventure. It was an amazing experience; it was definitely a special time. It was kind of like the real life Dumb and Dumber.
Finally, your brotherly bond has been there since your teen years, so it extends far beyond this band. What is one nice thing you would say about each other?
BT: There are many to say about Mike. Watching him grow in the recent years has been unbelievable. Seeing his determination to accomplish things to his best ability, whatever it is. Whatever he puts his mind to, he does it to the full extent, and I admire that.
MK: I think, it’s kind of what you were saying earlier on, everyone who runs into Ben comes back with the same opinion that Ben is the nicest guy ever. And it is true, he is the nicest guy ever. He would never be a disappointing person to bump into and meet. I, on the other hand, would be [laughs]. I think Ben completely lives up to his reputation of being a very lovely person.
And a very good drummer! Look guys, I know interviews can sometimes be tedious or whatever, but I do really appreciate the time you’ve taken to chat today, thanks again.
Both: Thank you!
Royal Blood’s fifth studio album Dead Company releases on November 6th.
Interview Cameron Poole
Photography Edward Cooke
