royal blood

[Zoo Music Girl]

Nah man, I love that, I love the enthusiasm for new bands, they way they kick down your defences and make you believe in the magic of music again, I love hearing a new band and raving to everyone about how fucking great they are. Sure, my ardour might cool in a few months, but you know fuck it, I love being knocked off my feet for a while. I hope it never stops, and they always feel like the second coming.

Just like being in love isn't it? Fall hard, fall often, relish that feeling.

Ah, Mardy, top post. So much this. I agree 100%.

Not about Royal Blood, though. I mean, they're okay. I saw them at Glastonbury. Barely remember any of their songs though and won't be bothering with the album.

[Zoo Music Girl]

PS. Fat White Family, who followed them (and for whom most of the crowd had scarpered) were tons better.

[Winslow Leach]

Ah, Mardy, top post. So much this. I agree 100%.

Not about Royal Blood, though. I mean, they're okay. I saw them at Glastonbury. Barely remember any of their songs though and won't be bothering with the album.

Spot on. I'm down with Mardy's enthusiasm for enthusiasm, just not for Royal Blood

But fair play to the people who are enthusiastic about them though, I wouldn't want to take that away from you.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Mardy's analogy works well for music that is new to you, but it could be for a fusty old album you've found in the back of a charity shop as much as for a band releasing their debut single.

Where it becomes slightly more problematic is when you're having the same arse-over-tit infatuation simultaneously with a whole heap of other people and beneath it all there's a wellspring of industry driven bought-and-paid-for hype - and if the cycle repeats itself every time a new NME critical darling of the week comes along and you're smitten without pausing to wonder whether the buzz is deserved.

Not saying that's happening to anyone here, mind.

[Winslow Leach]

There's definitely a difference between enthusiasm and hype.

I'm generally much more wary of hype.

[Mardy]

PS. Fat White Family, who followed them (and for whom most of the crowd had scarpered) were tons better.

Bloody great weren't they. One of my highlights of this weekend. And I'm phnenomenally excited that they've been working with Eccentronic Research Council and Maxine Peake (ERC's '1621 Underture' is a fucking great record)

[Mardy]

Mardy's analogy works well for music that is new to you, but it could be for a fusty old album you've found in the back of a charity shop as much as for a band releasing their debut single.

Where it becomes slightly more problematic is when you're having the same arse-over-tit infatuation simultaneously with a whole heap of other people and beneath it all there's a wellspring of industry driven bought-and-paid-for hype - and if the cycle repeats itself every time a new NME critical darling of the week comes along and you're smitten without pausing to wonder whether the buzz is deserved.

Not saying that's happening to anyone here, mind.

I agree with that, pretty much, I love it, properly love it when you find out about an old band who then go on to blow you away, the whole narrative, the music, the entire fucking thing waiting for you to find it. Wooderson pointing me in the direction of the GD is something I will be eternally grateful for.

But getting caught up in the buzz, not stopping to wonder if something is justified? If you're just being taken in by the hype?Fuck, isn't that what life is all about? That feeling of being so alive, so ready to embrace the possibility. How dreadful would it be not to look at your teams' fixtures for the football season and not feel a rush of possibility. Or the lineup for the Edinburgh Fringe and think that maybe one of these comics will be the new Kitson. Maybe I'm an old sentimental fool, but I never want those kinds of feelings to go away (alright, for me it has with football, but it's still there with music, dammit)

[Gucci Piggy]

knowing that my side can show them how it's done and absolutely smash it

But you're a West Ham fan..

[jonodillieono]

But you're a West Ham fan..

[CaledonianGonzo]

I agree with that, pretty much, I love it, properly love it when you find out about an old band who then go on to blow you away, the whole narrative, the music, the entire fucking thing waiting for you to find it. Wooderson pointing me in the direction of the GD is something I will be eternally grateful for.

But getting caught up in the buzz, not stopping to wonder if something is justified? If you're just being taken in by the hype?Fuck, isn't that what life is all about? That feeling of being so alive, so ready to embrace the possibility. How dreadful would it be not to look at your teams' fixtures for the football season and not feel a rush of possibility. Or the lineup for the Edinburgh Fringe and think that maybe one of these comics will be the new Kitson. Maybe I'm an old sentimental fool, but I never want those kinds of feelings to go away (alright, for me it has with football, but it's still there with music, dammit)

[Zoo Music Girl]

I thought they were alright... But I was just a bit shocked at the absurdity of the frontman.

[dentalplan]

Absurd frontmen are never a problem for me!

This illustrates it perfectly, though. You found RB exciting: I found FWF exciting. We're all different and excitement and passion is good.

[Mardy]

Front men should be a little absurd. They need to walk the line between charismatic, captivating and ludicrous. Otherwise it's just Gallagher style tedium. Give me a fucking showman/woman. I want them to enact my rock star fantasies, not look like they'd rather be making a cup of tea in an office. Give me Jarvis Cocker over Alex Turner.

[Zoo Music Girl]

Have you checked out The Amazing Snakeheads? Weren't at Glastonbury but there's a bit of a Birthday Party/early Nick Cave feel about them. The frontman seems quite absurd too, just fired the rest of the band a few weeks back.

Sounds like it could be right up my street! Cheers, will check them out

[Zoo Music Girl]

Front men should be a little absurd. They need to walk the line between charismatic, captivating and ludicrous. Otherwise it's just Gallagher style tedium. Give me a fucking showman/woman. I want them to enact my rock star fantasies, not look like they'd rather be making a cup of tea in an office. Give me Jarvis Cocker over Alex Turner.

Nailed it again!

[CHRLY]

Just caught up with this thread. Agree with the comments on FWF and the amazing snakeheads, both top quality acts.

Yeh I never really thought of the possibility of the record label giving them the hype, does seen that way. They just don't do anything for me their just pretty dull, nothing special with their songwriting for me. I think it will blow over pretty soon.

[A Guy Called Matt]

If you like absurd front men then give The Struts a listen.

[LondonTom]

I think I've found my problem with the Royal Blood, in Figure It Out (i think), XFM always seem to be playing that one anyway. The singer sounds alot like the singer in Does it Offend You Yeah?! (Its not even I dislike that kind of voice and I quite DIOYY?'s first album but... it just puts me off because I start thinking about DIOYY?.)

[CaledonianGonzo]

Never sure why a band would want to cram themselves into such a stylistic straightjacket. Out of neccessity, perhaps, but it's a pretty limited palette to paint with.

[FloorFiller]

Never sure why a band would want to cram themselves into such a stylistic straightjacket. Out of neccessity, perhaps, but it's a pretty limited palette to paint with.

yeah this definitely. i really can't see where they're gonna go next as they've pigeonholed themselves so tightly. unless the next album is a total reinvention i can see this growing very stale very fast (if people aren't sick of them already come album number two - i'll return with an update in two years time)

[jonodillieono]

They're really just a poor man's dfa1979 aren't they?

[dentalplan]

What was meant was that they've pigeonholed themselves with the limitations of the instruments they play. They did that from the start and made a load of similar songs so evolving for the next album is gonna be very difficult. If Tom learns to play the keyboard with his headstock like Jesse F Keeler then that would open the window a little bit more.

[greenArmy12]

They're really just a poor man's dfa1979 aren't they?

At a brief glance I thought this said poor mans 1975, fuck me what would a poor mans 1975 be?

[dentalplan]

Ah yeah, I'm with you... Then again, haven't most other two pieces done the same? The White Stripes, The Black Keys, Drenge?

Mike seems fairly clued up on the technology he can combine with his bass... A new sound could come from one pedal, should they choose to go that way. I see where you're coming from, but I don't think that they've totally restricted themselves because they're just a drum + bass duo... They could break out of it, should they have the creativity in themselves to do so.

Yeah but what he's created is the mix of effects for the biggest sound he can get. Tinkering with that would probably dull it a little.

I wouldn't compare Drenge as they're still on their debut and who knows what they'll do but The Black Keys added personnel and Jack White was playing pianos and stuff from the start. The difference between those and Royal Blood though is they all get to play with the high end whereas Mike (I thought he was called Tom before, oops) is stuck to bass riffing and can't really crack out the acoustic for a number. I know he can play a load of other instruments so perhaps they could move those in on the next record.

At a brief glance I thought this said poor mans 1975, fuck me what would a poor mans 1975 be?

The Kooks' album is out next week so you might get your wish!

For what it's worth though, I don't think there's very much similarity at all between DFA and Royal Blood other than the members' main instruments.

[jonodillieono]

For what it's worth though, I don't think there's very much similarity at all between DFA and Royal Blood other than the members' main instruments.

I haven't even heard the album yet, I know the 4 (or is it 3) singles and that's it. I haven't been able to get on to a proper computer to listen to it

Little Monster reminds me of DFA quite a lot though