Royal Blood announce their biggest local show to date

The news comes at a busy time for Royal Blood, as they get ready to support Guns N’Roses in an epic performance at Slane Castle on Saturday, May 27.

After becoming the biggest breaking British rock band with their self-titled 2014 debut album, Royal Blood’s eagerly anticipated second album ‘How Did We Get So Dark?’ will be released on June 16 on Warner Bros Records.

The album’s lead single ‘Lights Out’ is now available after being premiered on Radio 1 as MistaJam’s Hottest Record.

Royal Blood’s breakthrough was huge. Their debut album was the fastest-selling British rock debut in three years, hitting #1 in the UK, going Top 20 in 12 countries, and selling over a million copies.

Before they knew it they were performing for Howard Stern, touring with Foo Fighters, holding dressing room audiences with Jimmy Page in New York, and being presented with a BRIT for Best British Band in 2015 by the very same guitar god. Their ascendency was further underlined with major awards courtesy of Kerrang!, NME and Q.

The 10 tracks that feature on ‘How Did We Get So Dark?’ were written in instrumental form during sessions in Brighton, Hollywood, Los Angeles and Nashville. Always trying to explore ways of stripping their enormous sound back to give it more space and impact, inspiration for the lyrics came from events in vocalist/bassist Mike Kerr’s life since the band first found huge success.

In November 2016. Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher, along with producer Jolyon Thomas, spent six weeks in a studio in Brussels that was decked out like a New York diner and featured a warehouse of antique gear. ‘How Did We Get So Dark?’ was subsequently completed after a final session in London with their debut album’s co-producer Tom Dalgety.

The album’s first single ‘Lights Out’ ups the ante from their debut with a wrecking ball of a groove cemented by Thatcher’s thunderous rhythms, while Kerr wrangles the twisted invention of his bass riffs to a whole new level.

The Royal Blood palette is also expanded with the complementary addition of piano or keyboards on four tracks, including the foreboding album closer ‘Sleep’.

‘How Did We Get So Dark?’ will be released on digital, CD and vinyl formats. Amazon will retail a signed version of the standard vinyl, while a coloured vinyl will also be available from specialist independent retailers. Also available are a super deluxe vinyl set and a cassette. Pre-orders are now open, and all fans who pre-order the album will receive an instant download of ‘Lights Out’.

Tickets for Royal Blood at 3Arena go on sale on Friday, May 26 at 9am.

Visit royalbloodband.com for more information.