Royal Blood interview: Touring with Queens of the Stone Age nearly killed us

“I’m very hungover.”

It’s good to know that Royal Blood’s rock and roll image isn’t just a facade: Singer and bassist Mike Kerr’s scratchy voice greets me when I call him up late-morning, and it’s clear that the band were out celebrating in style the night before.

“Last night was the biggest gig we’ve ever played," he says gruffly, referring to their sold-out show at Manchester Arena. “It was a big moment for us.”

In all fairness, there’s been a great deal for Royal Blood to celebrate recently.

The Brighton duo - made up of Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher - released their second number one album How Did We Get So Dark? in August and recently set out on a huge stadium tour of the UK.

They've achieved all this just four years after forming in 2013.

“I don’t think anyone can plan or expect something like that,” Mike says, contemplating the band’s breakneck rise to fame.

“It’s pretty rare; especially for a rock band in this current climate. We’ve only been a band for four years. It’s madness.”

It’s no wonder then that band haven’t settled down just yet: the pair are currently on tour, and it sounds like heavy nights out on the road are something they're very used to.

"We just came off tour with Queens of the Stone Age, which nearly killed us," Mike says. "It was absolute carnage. It was like a four-week stag do.”

It's not just Queens of the Stone Age that the pair have spent time drinking with either: Royal Blood also supported the Foo Fighters on run of shows a while back, which sounds equally as full-on.

Sharing a story about a particularly heavy night with Dave Grohl and co, Mike said: “I smoked a massive joint when they were coming to the end of their set during one show. Then, the next thing I know Dave Grohl tells me to get on stage, and I was like: “Oh, shit.” So I walked on stage absolutely obliterated, and then Dave made me down a bottle of Champagne in front of 80,000 people.”

For all the debauchery, it must have been a great relief that they got on so well with their musical heroes.

After all, the band have previously stated how much they were inspired by Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age in the early days.

“A big part of me is because of Josh Homme, and Ben’s drumming is heavily influenced by John Theodore, as well as the records that Dave Grohl plays on," he reflects.

Their experiences of getting to know them on tour might sound pretty full-on, but Mike saw the whole thing as a great education.

“It was like graduating from rock and roll school; being set free like a dove from the palms of Homme himself,” he says.

The heavyweights of the rock world have certainly taken the band under their wing. In years to come it could be Royal Blood leading the next generation of rock stars astray.

Royal Blood are currently on tour. Tickets can be purchased here