Royal Blood: the next kings of rock?

August 24, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

Rock is dead.

Or so we’re told every few years regarding the dearth of new artists heard on rock radio. This was the case when Britney ruled the turn of the century, but then came along the White Stripes to remind us what the blues felt like. The same scenario took place in the later ’00s before Wolf Mother howled onto the scene.

Taking the mantle of rock savior today is relatively new U.K. band Royal Blood, which combines the urgency of Queens of the Stone Age and the influence of Led Zeppelin to create a modern hard rock aesthetic that is instantly addictive.

While the band’s bassist-singer Mike Kerr dispels the notion of “rock is dead” as nothing more than clickbait (well, he’s not wrong!), the truth is the genre has seemingly taken a hit lately.

“I mean, it kind of doesn’t make sense if you think about it,” said Kerr, calling from Kansas City. “It’s kind of like saying jazz is dead when people around the world still play it. I think that approach is coming from whether people listen to it or not.

“Just because bands of a particular genre aren’t always top of the charts or filling up stadiums doesn’t mean it’s dead. There’s too much history for a genre like that to die. It’s impossible.”

Nevertheless, Royal Blood is doing its best to keep rock alive as a duo. Alongside drummer Ben Thatcher, Kerr plays the bass like a guitar, employing a sonic experimentation of pedals and amps to create the band’s instantly identifiable sound.

Take for instance the group’s incendiary debut single, “Out of the Black,” which garnered radio airplay around the globe. Or the group’s most recent single “Figure it Out,” which reached No. 10 on the stateside alternative charts. So what is it about Royal Blood that’s attracting so many listeners?

“In the studio, we wanted to capture what we do live,” Kerr said. “That was the real principal. And that didn’t necessarily mean recording it live because in the studio sometimes things sound bigger when you don’t do that. But sometimes they do. So it was a mixture.

“And every time we did add something, it was very quickly taken away. I really believe less is more. It was really just about that.”

Returning to the notion of keeping rock alive, the one band that continues to do so is the Foo Fighters. Royal Blood is currently opening for the Dave Grohl-led band’s “Broken Leg Tour,” which includes a Tuesday show at Pittsburgh’s First Niagara Pavilion. That means Kerr gets a front row seat nightly to watch the former Nirvana drummer – who suffered a broken leg in June – perform from his amazing throne.

“He plays on the throne every night,” Kerr said. “On a scale of weirdness, it’s very weird. It’s the only existing throne of its kind. It has lasers on it. It’s got wheels. The speaker of his amp is inside it. It’s pretty remarkable. And it’s meant that we can do this tour, which has just been great.”

When asked if he could imagine the scenario that would require him to use such a throne to perform, Kerr laughed, “I hope I never break my leg, so I’m trying not to envision that.”