Royal Blood Keeps Rock Vital and Futuristic

The day in late September that I saw Royal Blood at College Street Music Hall in New Haven, I, for some reason, was having daydreams about living in some kind of Star Trek-like universe.

I was specifically imagining that I was back at my alma mater, University of Colorado-Boulder, but that the university was actually an auxiliary Starfleet Academy that operated on another planet that humans (FINALLY!!!) had colonized.

Perhaps this was because I always thought that Boulder had a futuristic and interplanetary look, especially on those winter days when the sky was completely clear, and the Flat Irons were covered in snow. So I took my fantasy and ran with it when I got to New Haven that evening, thinking that I was actually going to a futuristic rock club flourishing with sounds that one might expect rock would possess in the 24th century.

With Royal Blood that is exactly what I got. Royal Blood at their core are a rock band, but they also possess the kind of bumpin’ and thumpin’ groove and an overconfident swagger of Bling-era hip-hop. When the band played material from their third record, Typhoons, the clear influence of Daft Punk gave an even greater danceability to the hard rock duo’s repertoire, complete with what seemed like 4K purple, blue, and red lighting.

That is what made Royal Blood the future rock experience for me. If rock wants to continue to evolve, it has to adapt to the current popular musical landscape and incorporate influences from electronic dance music and hip-hop. Given Royal Blood’s success at doing that, it’s no wonder that they’ve found success and warm reception from critics, while maintaining their obvious rock aesthetic. It’s all possible to do that so long as bands don’t try to be a throwback past rock movements. I even say that as someone who has the spirit of classic rock in their blood. But I am not interested in listening to people do what has already been done. That’s not what Royal Blood has ever done and that’s what made their show so enjoyable.

Upcoming shows at College Street Music Hall to look out for include:

Find out more here: https://collegestreetmusichall.com/