AFTER becoming the biggest breaking British rock band with their self-titled 2014 debut album, Royal Blood’s eagerly anticipated second album ‘How Did We Get So Dark?’ will be released on June 16 and, ahead of that, the band have a gig on Tyneside next month (May).

Royal Blood’s breakthrough was huge. Their debut album was the fastest-selling British rock debut in three years, hitting #1 in the UK, debuting in the Top 5 on the US Billboard 200, going Top 20 in 12 countries, and selling over a million copies. Before they knew it they were performing for Howard Stern, touring with Foo Fighters, holding dressing room audiences with Jimmy Page in New York, and being presented with a BRIT for Best British Band in 2015 by the very same guitar god. Their ascendency was further underlined with major awards courtesy of Kerrang!, NME and Q.

The ten tracks that feature on ‘How Did We Get So Dark?’ were written in instrumental form during sessions in Brighton, Hollywood, Los Angeles and Nashville. Always trying to explore ways of stripping their enormous sound back to give it more space and impact, inspiration for the lyrics came from events in vocalist/bassist Mike Kerr’s life since the band first found huge success.

In November 2016. Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher, along with producer Jolyon Thomas, spent six weeks in a studio in Brussels that was decked out like a New York diner and featured a warehouse of antique gear. How Did We Get So Dark? was subsequently completed after a final session in London with their debut album’s co-producer Tom Dalgety.

While the album finds Royal Blood refining their melodic might, there are other moments that fulfil their aim to create songs that will add new dimensions to their live sets. Adorned with Kerr’s falsetto, ‘Don’t Tell’ drops the intensity to mesmerising effect, while ‘Where Are You Now?’ pulsates with a bounding energy that’s quite a step apart from anything else in their catalogue. The Royal Blood palette is also expanded with the inclusion of harmony vocals – something that they didn’t use on their debut.

Royal Blood’s summer festival touring commences at The Governors Ball in New York City in June and concludes with both legs of Japan’s Summer Sonic Festival in August. In the UK, they’re confirmed to play Glastonbury and will headline the Eden Sessions on June 22nd.

n Royal Blood, O2 Academy, Newcastle, 18th May. See https://wbr.ec/rb_website