Royal Blood

"They pack a powerful punch live, and their records already sound classic." -- Huw Stephens   Hailing from Brighton, Royal Blood are duo Mike Keer on bass and vocals and Ben Thatcher on drums.   Championed by BBC Introducing, their brand of melodic, riff-heavy power rock has drawn comparisons to the likes of White Stripes and Queens Of The Stone Age.   The two-piece only came together at the start of 2013, when Mike returned from a trip to Australia. Ben picked him up from the airport, and they decided to form a band on the journey home. They played their first gig the following day.   Unashamedly loud, the duo were given an early boost by Arctic Monkeys’ drummer Matt Helders, who wore one of their t-shirts during the band’s televised headline set at Glastonbury this summer. Royal have since been signed to support the Monkeys at their massive, outdoor Finsbury Park shows next year.   (BBC)