11 December 2023 – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane – words by Kai Giovanni – pictures by Bec Harbour
On Monday, Brisbane’s residents had a blast back to the 2010’s – a time of riff rock, dance punk, and the rock renaissance – when British duo Royal Blood shook the Fortitude Music Hall for the third leg of their 2023 Australia & New Zealand tour.
After making the most of 2020’s ‘unprecedented circumstances’ to expand their unique bass-and-drum sound into the realms of electro-pop and synth-rock, 2023’s Back To The Water Below LP has seen the band bring the best elements of their previous albums together to inject a new flavour into the world of alternative rock. Interestingly, the Royal Blood name found its radio debut in Australia, when the band – as a trio – released ‘Come on Over’ (formerly as ‘Leaving’) on Triple J after recording the Out of the Black EP in Brisbane. Now, several tours, a few LPs, and one glow up later, they’ve finally come back to return the favour.
Crafting it as one of the best lineups I’ve seen this year, The Buoys and Psychedelic Porn Crumpets opened the night for the tour’s Brisbane stop. The last time I’d seen The Buoys was in 2019, for DZ Deathrays’ Positive Rising Pt. 1 tour and my first show ever; they were everything I remembered and more. Despite the diverse crowd of young nu-enthusiasts and oldie hard rock lovers, the Sydney quadrio’s infectious energy, undeniably catchy hooks, and Aussie spirit easily enraptured the audience.
The Buoys – Fortitude Music Hall – pictures by Bec Harbour
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets were next on the night’s unbeatable lineup. Armed with extra tight interplay, brain-melting time signatures, and perfect headbanging hairdos, the Perth five-piece were the perfect main act to amp the crowd up for a night of non-stop riffs and non-stop movement.
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – Fortitude Music Hall – photos by Bec Harbour
Next, after ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ welcomed the UK cowboys to the stage, ‘Out of the Black’ quickly transformed the all-ages crowd into a horde of experienced moshers. It’s one thing to casually jam out to Royal Blood and go “I can see how this could be a two-piece”, but what truly sells the band is experiencing their effortless amalgamation of midi-programmed effects, subtle backing tracks, and raw performative energy for yourself.
Royal Blood – Fortitude Music Hall – photos by Bec Harbour
Performing tracks across their discography allowed Mike Kerr to very thoroughly show off his expertise. Some songs played with a standard bass, some played with his trademark half-guitar-strung bass, and some performed alongside touring backup vocalist Darren James. Whilst Back To The Water Below tracks fit perfectly amongst the setlist’s bounty of heavier Royal Blood and How Did We Get So Dark? entries, Typhoons and lesser-known B-side tracks ‘Supermodel Avalanche’ and ‘One Trick Pony’ were the star songs of the night. Contrasting from many of the band’s irresistibly moshable tracks like ‘Little Monster’ ‘Come on Over’ and ‘Ten Tonne Skeleton’, songs like ‘Trouble’s Coming’ and ‘Typhoons’ highlighted Royal Blood’s genre diversity and new expertise in overwhelmingly danceable synth-rock. ‘Waves’ introduced an especially nice change of pace during the night.
Royal Blood – Fortitude Music Hall – photos by Bec Harbour
Now, I’ve been to a lot of heavy all-ages shows, and most of them have ended up being an energetic band performing before an audience full of shy, reserved, and otherwise lacklustre young adults – thankfully, this wasn’t the case for Royal Blood. Even the most timid and inexperienced of audience members couldn’t resist the face-scrunching, ear-melting riffs and tones of Royal Blood, transforming into moshpit, circle of death, and crowd surfing veterans by the end of the night.
Royal Blood – Fortitude Music Hall – photos by Bec Harbour
Royal Blood have always been a much-needed return to form for the riff-rock scene. A classic rock mentality of powerful riffs and heavy-hitting drumlines, nuanced with a Gen Y gravitation towards dance-rock, synthesiser tones, and vocal hooks: that’s Royal Blood. You can catch them on their Australia & New Zealand tour now.
