[LISTEN] Royal Blood - Where Are You Now?

Spoiler alert - this is NOT a Justin Bieber cover, so if you're here for that fuck right off, this however is the crunching new track from the Brighton duo - Royal Blood - and it's the first slither of new material since their UK #1 album was released back in 2014 - yes it was two years ago!

Head on down below and listen to the track lifted from the - HBO series - Vinyl's OST.

ZIBRA share their exciting new mixtape

The London via Cambridgeshire trio have uploaded something quite special for ya, their brand new mixtape. The 25 minute long mixtape features some new and exciting bands such as Mura Masa, Shura and Vitamin, alongside some of ZIBRA's covers of Royal Blood, Kernkraft 400 and Wamdue Project.

Scroll on down to check out the tracklist and to stream it.

Intro - Fax Machine Kryten 500
LA Priest - Lady in trouble with the law
Formation - All The Rest Is Noise.
ZIBRA - Zombie Nation (Kernkraft 400 Cover)
Vitamin- To Believe
Tomcraft - Loneliness
ZIBRA - King of My Castle (Wamdue Project Cover)
Mura Masa - Love For That. Feat. Shura
Clarence Clarity - Cancer In The Water
ZIBRA - Come On Over (Royal Blood  Cover)

Royal Blood perform "Figure It Out" on The Late Late Show with James Corden

This episode was a rather British affair with Royal Blood performing their track "Figure It Out" on The Late Late Show with James Corden, with the band trying to cement their place over in the USA as well as Europe... and by the look of it they're succeeding!

The band are currently on a US tour playing which runs from tomorrow (24th September) all the way to October 9th at ACL!

Nero cover Royal Blood's "Little Monster" for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge

Well now, after a week of very middle-of-the-road covers, we have a cover that we were not expecting, Nero covering Royal Blood's "Little Monster" with some Frankie Goes To Hollywood thrown in for good measure.

Here they turn the track from a rock anthem to an electro-rock juggernaut with come captivating vocals that really makes this a unique cover - let us know what you think of it, watch it below!

Reading Festival 2015 - Round-Up

This year was one of Reading Festivals most anticipated years, mainly due to The Libertines, Metallica and a sold-out event, here we have a collection of reviews from the festival, with Royal Blood, The Wombats, Foals, Jamie XX and Catfish and The Bottlemen.

Vann McCann of Catfish and The Bottlemen - (C) BBC

Jamie XX - by Jack Storey

When I got to the tent it was rammed, everyone knows how big Jamie XX is now, and he's certainly managed to do it all on his own. Obviously you have The XX fans down at the front hoping for him to play some of their songs but this was a different affair.

The highlight of the set was "Loud Places" which got the crowd moving, and myself too, even considering I'm a late 20's chap with a big body I was loving what Jamie was doing on the decks. Although if you are going to sample vocals from a mate, please let them come along, I was half expecting Romy to appear but alas it never happened. However, Jamie XX was one of the highlights of the whole fucking weekend! Loved it!




Royal Blood - by James Kays

At this weekend's Reading festival Royal Blood took to the main stage to perform a cracking band new track called "Hook, Line and Sinker". The tune returns to the rampant style they had at the start of the band, similar to that of White Stripes. With some meaty hooks and pounding drums this basically sums up the duo in a sentence, still... this new track is just the start of things!




The Wombats - by Maria Torres

Reading Festival 2015 was undoubtedly yet another success, with stellar headline performances on the main stage from Mumford and Sons, Metallica and The Libertines, and numerous incredible sets from the varying genres of bands from stage to stage. However, The Wombats’ Saturday headline set on the very small Festival Republic Stage was most definitely the highlight of the festival. Half an hour before the set began and already the very compact tent was full to it’s maximum capacity, with an audience of all ages packed so tightly that one could barely move a muscle. By 10.30pm, the lights dimmed and the Liverpudlian trio took to the stage to give an intense hour-long performance filled with energy and charisma. 

Matthew Murphy launched straight into the punchy hit ‘Moving to New York’, with the audience reciprocating every lyric with greatest ease. Bassist Tord Knudsen commenced running around the stage after the first beat, driving his energy forward into the atmosphere and encouraging more movement (resulting in an overheated tent), whilst Dan Haggis remained poised yet still ensuring he was giving the drumming his all. The set continued without hesitation, consisting of hits old and new, The Wombats were putting on a show directed at every audience member in their presence. New tracks such as ‘Greek Tragedy’ and ‘Give Me a Try’ were a particular highlight, with catchy choruses being sung back and forth continuously without fail. After what seemed like minutes, the set drew to a close and The Wombats decided to go all out by performing old favourites ‘Tokyo (Vampires and Wolves)’ and ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’. The crowd went absolutely crazy for the trio, resulting in Matthew Murphy coming down into the audience to get mobbed, ending in smiles all around.  

The Wombats have proved once again that they have returned with a vengeance and will always be the band full of catchy hits and insane live shows that they always have been. Their Festival Republic set will always be one to remember, as it was flawless, energetic and best of all, pure entertainment. 


Foals  - by Maria Torres

Yannis from Foals - (C) BBC

Saturday morning, there was a buzz to be felt at the NME/Radio 1 tent. Rumours had been circulating the festival that Indie rock band Foals were to be playing an early afternoon set, following the release of their new album ‘What Went Down.’ Although not yet confirmed, festival-goers were fairly positive that the Oxford based band would be making an appearance after seeing posters scattered around the festival and a fairly implicit clue from the festival organisers. Come noon and the tent itself started to fill-up as the news of the band’s appearance presented itself on social media.  


By 1.40pm, the stage was overflowing with an audience eagerly awaiting for Foals to come on stage. The band promptly made an appearance which generated an overpowering cheer and launched straight into familiar hit ‘My Number.’ The reception from the crowd was overwhelming, with the whole tent singing back every lyric word for word whilst mosh pits formed and dancing took place. Yannis Philippakis’ stage persona was immediately revealed, he owned the stage and maintained full adoration from the audience. Numerous guitar rhythms drove the set along effortlessly, ensuring that the band’s incredible musicianship was highlighted throughout the performance. Foals followed with a new track ‘Mountain at my Gates,’ which again displayed their faultless performance as well as being a definite crowd-pleaser for all present. Resulting in an atmospheric climax, the new song is undoubtedly received as an instant classic. The set continued with a trio of older songs, ‘Inhaler’, ‘Spanish Sahara’ and ‘Red Socks Pugie’ which were all performed flawlessly, reflecting the professionalism as well as the popularity of this highly-established band. The crowd chants echoed throughout the tent continuously, inevitably showing that Foals are destined for even greater things to come in the next year.  



Foals concluded their short 30 minute set with another new track ‘What Went Down,’ introducing the heavier guitar riffs as well as darker lyrics, all driven by a continuous beat which encouraged the crowd to go wild. Yannis resulted in stepping down into the audience and being hailed as an ultimate indie legend, with the audience reciprocating with utter chaos, trying to get within close proximity of the lead singer. As the song reached an abrupt finish the applause for Foals was deafening as well as never-ending. The appreciation from the band themselves to their fans was evident as they made their way off stage.

Throughout this short set Foals displayed their achievement of an even greater level of musicianship, with the release of new material, insane live shows and that they are now more than ready to take on the headline slots at countless festivals to come.  




Catfish and the Bottlemen - by Martin Woods

There is no hiding it, Catfish and the Bottlemen are a big deal, and have been for a while now, with a massive début album  under their belts I expected some sing-a-longs at their set on the BBC/NME Stage but this was on another level.

They're a testament to any band out there thinking that they're is no way they're ever going to be signed, this lot have been together for a long time and now they're reaping their rewards, by playing to a packed out tent at Reading. After a solid Glasto appearance in the rain it was quite nice to see them 'in the dry' - although it was awful weather outside - and during their set they even done a little cover of Stereophonics mid-set. All in all this was a solid set of 9 tracks, expect to see them headline this stage in the future!

Royal Blood reveal new track at Reading - "Hook, Line and Sinker"

At this weekend's Reading festival Royal Blood took to the main stage to perform a cracking band new track called "Hook, Line and Sinker". The tune returns to the rampant style they had at the start of the band, similar to that of White Stripes. With some meaty hooks and pounding drums this basically sums up the duo in a sentence, still... this new track is just the start of things!
 

10 Of The Best Covers So Far In 2015

Everyone loves a cover, and last year we done a huge post on the best 30 of the past 5 years, but we feel the urge to do another post. This time, including 2015's covers only.

Enjoy.

Orlando from The Maccabees in Radio 1's Live Lounge

Ewan McGregor - Hourglass - Catfish and the Bottlemen

 

Novo Amor - Welcome To The Jungle - Guns N Roses

 

Billy Lockett - Out Of The Black - Royal Blood

 

Mansionair - Seasons (Waiting For You) - Future Islands

 

ZIBRA - King - Years & Years

 

 The Maccabees - Lean On - Major Lazer, DJ Snake and MO 

 

Slaves - Shutdown - Skepta 

Gallant - Learn To Fly - Foo Fighters

 

Florence & The Machine - Times Like These - Foo Fighters 

Nothing But Thieves - Holding Out For A Hero - Bonnie Tyler 

 

One Direction fans don't even know who Royal Blood are...

One Direction fans have taken to Twitter tonight to express how discontent they are that their beloved five piece didn't win Best British Band at the BRIT Awards that are taking place tonight (25th Feb 2015). The only issue is, they don't even know who the Mercury Award Nominees are. Check out their embarrassing tweets below...

Who are royal blood and why didn't one direction win hahaha
— Stephanie (@StephGoodhew) February 25, 2015

One direction have the biggest fanbase in the world and im sorry but who are royal blood?
— Patricia (@drewspat) February 25, 2015

and who tf are royal blood i dont even know them
— THANKVYOY NIALL (@njhoranscrew) February 25, 2015

what is royal blood who is royal blood why did they win where are there fans
— bio/ask for ref sry (@ImSoDoneZayn) February 25, 2015

who even are royal blood😂

— C o n r a d (@howyooudoin) February 25, 2015

IDK who Royal Blood are but the white folks are going nuts over them

— Helga Belga (@helgatheweber) January 24, 2015

WHO THE FUCK IS ROYAL BLOOD???? AND WHY ARE THEY NOMINATED FOR BRITISH GROUP ?????

— PLEASE LITTLE MIX (@candyflossjesy) January 15, 2015

Who the hell are Royal Blood and Alt-J?? 👀👀 #BRITs2015 pic.twitter.com/IXcum6RpTl

— Jadesy (@TeamJesyJade_) January 15, 2015

If you want to laugh at more stupidity, all you have to search on twitter is 'who are royal blood'.

- Nathan (@nxths)

Royal Blood cover T-Rex on first day of tour

Royal Blood have kicked off their UK tour in spectacular fashion by covering T-Rex's "20th Century Boy" while at Glasgow's Barrowland's venue. With the amount of covers the duo are now playing it just makes you wonder that there might be a covers release soon?

We hope so, but to tide you over until then here is "20th Century Boy".

Like ROYAL BLOOD? Discover similar bands with one simple click!

Royal Blood cover The Police's "Roxanne"

Royal Blood have today covered The Police's Roxanne in the BBC's Live Lounge for Fearne Cotton and BBC Radio 1. The heavy take on the classic hopefully might make it's way into their set, as it's just as heavy as their own material, and as powerful at that too.

Zane Lowe's Leaving Radio 1 Departure; Cause For Concern.

The news came out on Sunday that Zane Lowe, Radio 1 DJ and all-round music know-it-all, would be packing his bags and leaving BBC studios in March.

It was no coincidence that in 2003, two phenomenons came out of New Zealand; the Lord of The Rings films featuring the Kiwi's green pastures, and the other a sprightly DJ setting off on his own adventure between the XFM and BBC Radio 1 studios. Twelve years later, after a barrage of sirens and loops of twenty different nationalities pronounce 'Zane Lowe', before each song, and the man has announced that he will leave the BBC studios. The next chapter of his career lies in The States at Apple headquarters, and who can blame him. But what's going to happen to the holy grail of Radio 1; that 7pm-9pm Mondays-Thursdays slot?

The mixing desk is big to fill, but already Radio 1 bosses have found someone willing enough to see if the headphones fits. Annie Mac is no stranger to the radio game, and her shows often sound as if they could be replicated within a live festival capacity, which she often does. She's been at the station for almost as long as Lowe himself and has a firm grasp of what it takes to put together engaging shows and can chat to some of the biggest musicians out there without a starstruck gaze.

Return of the Mac... to a new time slot.

There's probably few other options the heads at Radio 1 thought of, so Mac is a reassuring choice. However, with all her expertise in the field of electronic dance music, which she already presents at 7pm on a Friday, you can't help but feel this could be a bit limiting when tuning into her first show on 9th March where you're greeted with a soothing voice and the intro to Route 94 instead of an ecstatic Lowe drilling Metallica to your core whilst whizzing onomatopoeic words over the airways.

The point is that Zane Lowe has built more than just the foundations for many acts and much of the music the nation, let alone other nations listen to today. Yes, he has his favourites; Enter Shikari often get more than their fair share of the pie but the enthusiasm that oozes from the New Zealander's twangs towards a largely versatile amount of music is unrivalled. It's whether genres such as rock, which is only just resurfacing due to the success of bands such as Royal Blood, also championed by Lowe, will continue to get the coverage they deserve amongst the dance and R'n'B scenes which have thrived for the past decade or so under Radio 1.

For all his annoying twists and fizzes, it's hard to name someone with quite so much enthusiasm and knowledge of the past, present and future of music. He's been capable of capturing some exclusive interviews with people such as Jay-Z and Chris Martin, right through to giving some of the smallest names a go on his show. Annie Mac is likely to mould the two hour slot in a way which probably reflects more on Lowe than herself, but will she still keep features such as 'hottest record in the world' and 'next hype'? Most probably not, but so long as Lowe passes on the baton of versatility and all things future, Mac should settle into the big chair soon enough. The question for everyone right now though is, Mr Lowe, which song shall you choose to play you out one last time?

(@JJShreeve)

Billy Lockett covers Royal Blood's "Out Of The Black"

Billy Lockett last year released his "Old Man" EP has now has returned to the scene in 2015 with a wonderful paino lead cover of Royal Blood's "Out Of The Black" - talk about taking a song and turning it into his own, from heavy bass-guitar and drum to piano, this just shows off Billy's talent.

Listen / [SOUNDCLOUD]

Alt-J, Royal Blood, Chvrches and George Ezra all up for Brit Awards

George Ezrra heads up the nominations for the Brit Awards 2015 with FOUR, in the categories for Best Breakthrough, Best British Male, Best British Album for "Wanted on Voyage" and Best British Single for "Budapest". - I can see him winning best album simply based on how he was #1 on multiple occasions throughout the year.

Royal Blood are up for three awards - Best British Group, Best Breakthrough Act and Best British Album for their self-titled début. While Chvrches are up for British breakthrough act, and Alt-J have been nominated for Best British Group and Best British Album.

Through One Ear and Out the Other; A Musical Shift From 2014 to 2015

Music is a constant, merely blurred by the boundaries of our calendar. 2015 will provide nothing different on the music scene as old rockers return and new names bubble to the surface, there should be something to savour for music fans this year. Here's some personal tips and moments to look forward to in 2015.

1. Return of the Maccs

On New Years eve Orlando Weeks and co gave us news of a new album and plenty more live shows hitting us in 2015. What the details are exactly we don't know yet but if it's anything like their last album, 'Given To The Wild', then their next instalment could be the record of the year.

2. The Rock 'n' Roll Revival Hits Wembley

In June Foo Fighters will take to Wembley Stadium to play some of their biggest shows to date but what's even more tasty is their support. It comes in the shape of hard-hitting duo Royal Blood who could soon rival Dave Grohl for a headline slot. 2014 was the definitive year for the pair but 2015 ought to firmly establish them as saviours of thick riffs and drums, a lot of drums.

3. Peace is the word

B-Town quartet Peace will bring some more shimmery vibes to your ear waves early on into the year with their second album, 'Happy People', dropping in February. Having spoken to the man behind the mic it seems that it won't end there though as a sea of tour dates and plans for a third album are very much in motion.

4. A Band Called Palace

With the return of the Maccabees already being noted, a band who will be hot on their heels this year is London outfit, 'Palace'. Their alternative tinting of archaic blues brought them a support slot on Jamie T's tour and 2015 will undoubtedly see them rise from their debut EP platform.

5. King Raury

If Outkast's comeback was too 2002 for you then welcome to Raury. The teenager from Atlanta is making rifts across seas and has impressed the likes of BBC to feature him on their Sounds of 2015 list. Over the past year he's released some interesting projects touching upon Andre 3000 and Childish Gambino influences which will carry him confidently through 2015.

6. Male music

Raury's not the only young man who you'll be hearing in 2015. Bipolar Sunshine will be delivering upbeat pop rhythms whereas the more gentle whirrs of Brits critics choice, James Bay, will be prominent and for the more rugged edge, Only Real will be bringing the skatty upbeat guitar playing back. Expect these three to be very much in and around some of the best things you hear this year.

7. Festivals

Hardly a surprise this but yes the dawn of 2015 means we move even closer to festival season. Despite the slightly under-par line up, Glastonbury was a stonker last year so if Eavis manages to book the bigger acts this year, it could be one of the best yet. Elsewhere Reading and Leeds have brought in Metallica, making their Glastonbury performance last year look not so special after all. Smaller festivals to look out for include Bestival - the biggest party of the year, and metropolitan festivals, Live At Leeds and Tramlines.

8. The Brits Bullshit

It appears the only good thing going for the Brits this year is that James Corden has been put out of his misery, his script tossed to one side as Ant and Dec take over the presenting duties. Don't expect any tongue in cheek public speech by Alex Turner this year though. Instead sit back and enjoy a festoon of faces who you'll have been tired of seeing since last February - Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift will all give 'big performances' on the show - all for the viewing figures eh.

By Josh Shreeve (@JJShreeve)

Watch Royal Blood cover "Happy" by Pharrell Williams

Royal Blood yesterday (6th November) popped into BBC Radio 1 for perform a couple of songs for Fearne Cotton, and you can check out the cover of Pharrell Williams they done, just below.

Of course it only had to be "Happy", and check out the Rock version of the track below, with Fearne stating "Oh my god. That is a vast improvement, ridiculously so."

Royal Blood 2015 UK Tour
FEBRUARY
22 Glasgow, Barrowland
27 Plymouth, Pavilions
28 Bridlington, Spa
MARCH
02 Portsmouth, Guildhall
03 Newport, Centre
05 Norwich, UEA
06 Blackpool, Empress Ballroom
11 Wolverhampton, Civic Hall
13 London, O2 Brixton Academy
14 Nottingham, Rock City

Follow / [FACEBOOK]
Listen/ [SOUNDCLOUD]

Royal Blood announce 2015 UK tour

After the drmatic events that saw their latest UK tour SELL OUT within minutes, amongst accusations of selling them in advance to ViaGoGo, Royal Blood have announced a massive 2015 tour with Brixton, Rock City and UEA all on the cards.

Royal Blood 2015 UK Tour
FEBRUARY
22 Glasgow, Barrowland
27 Plymouth, Pavilions
28 Bridlington, Spa
MARCH
02 Portsmouth, Guildhall
03 Newport, Centre
05 Norwich, UEA
06 Blackpool, Empress Ballroom
11 Wolverhampton, Civic Hall
13 London, O2 Brixton Academy
14 Nottingham, Rock City

Follow / [FACEBOOK]
Listen/ [SOUNDCLOUD]

Royal Blood cover Lana Del Rey's "West Coast"

Recent Barclaycard Mercury Music Prize nominees, Royal Blood, have covered Lana Del Rey's "West Coast" for Dutch station 3FM. The duo from Brighton have added some rock n roll to the popular Del Rey tune. You can check it out below!

Not long since they were at #1 the band have also announced a home-coming show in Brighton for December!

Follow / [FACEBOOK]
Listen/ [SOUNDCLOUD]

By Joshua Shreeve (@JJShreeve)

Royal Blood announce home-town show in Brighton

The duo have enjoyed some success as of late thanks to their self-titled début album, and now they're paying back the people that helped them on their way with a very special show in their home-town of Brighton. 

The Brighton Dome is the venue in question and tickets are on sale now for the December 20th show.

Buy / Royal Blood - Royal Blood
Follow / [FACEBOOK]
Listen / [SOUNDCLOUD]

Royal Blood slip to #2 in album charts, Lonely The Brave & Pulled Apart By Horses enter the chart

Royal Blood last week shot to the top of the UK's Top 40 Album Chart, they were still there mid-week this week but a late charge from Sam Smith's PR lot has taken the crown from them.

They currently sit at #2 int he chart, still VERY respectable, they're joined with Cambridge rockers Lonely The Brave at #14 and Pulled Apart By Horses with their new album "Blood" at #38 - who said rock'n'roll was dead!

Royal Blood announce massive UK tour

After getting a number ONE album, the duo from Brighton have announced a UK tour in late October and early November as a celebration, one catch, tickets are for sale. They're not multi-millionaires yet! It'll see them start in Ireland at Dublin's Academy, also it'll see them play one of London's rockiest venues the Electric Ballroom two nights running, followed by dates here in Cambridge and also more dates in the south at Oxford, Bristol and Portsmouth.

A full list of dates are below.

Royal Blood's Autumn UK tour
OCTOBER
27 Dublin, Academy
29 Newcastle, Riverside
30 Glasgow, O2 ABC
31 Sheffield, Leadmill
NOVEMBER
02 Manchester, Ritz
03 Liverpool, O2 Academy
04 Birmingham, Institute
06 & 07 London, Electric Ballroom
08 Cambridge, Junction
10 Portsmouth, Pyramids
11 Oxford, O2 Academy
12 Bristol, Bierkeller

Buy / Royal Blood - Royal Blood
Follow / [FACEBOOK]