Royal Blood deliver blistering homecoming set at On The Beach Brighton 2023

31 July 2023, 20:00 | Updated: 21 December 2023, 16:27

Royal Blood play homecoming show at On The Beach Brighton 2023. Picture: @roughboysmedia

By Jenny Mensah

Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher played a triumphant set in their hometown as part of the On The Beach Brighton series. Find out what went down and get the setlist here.

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Royal Blood played an electrifying set at On The Beach Brighton 2023.

The Sussex duo - made up of Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher - took to Brighton's iconic seafront on Saturday (29th July) to deliver an epic homecoming gig to their loyal fans.

After performances from the likes of You Me At Six, Wargasm, Kid Kapichi and more, the pair took to the stage to a hero's welcome as a Brighton & Albion Hove F.C. flag stood proudly upon Thatcher's drum kit.

After kicking things off things off with Hole, the B-Side to 2014 single Little Monster, the pair treated the crowd to some of their most thunderous live favourites, including Come On Over, Lights Out and Boilermaker, before playing Mountains at Midnight, the lead track to their upcoming fourth studio album Back To The Water Below.

Fans were also given a shiny new toy in the form of Shinier In The Dark, which is listed as the second track on the forthcoming LP- set for release on 1st September.

Royal Blood On the Beach. Frigging amazing ⁦@royalblooduk⁩ pic.twitter.com/IBZkW3lOnn
— Sandy Bearman (@Sandybearman) July 29, 2023

Pyro played a huge part throughout band's blinding performance, with the duo literally bringing the heat to the seafront as they tore through the likes of the disco-inspired Trouble's Coming from their 2021 Typhoons album as well as its title track.

Unsurprisingly, Little Monster - from their eponymous debut - prompted a huge reaction and the likes of How Did We Get So Dark? from their album of the same name had the crowd hanging on their every word.

Despite the raucous event, there were some moments for poignant reflection as Kerr emotionally told their home crowd: "I'm tripping out really hard right now. Thank you so much for coming along tonight. We don't deserve it."

"Thank you," he added, before quipping: "That's enough of that s***".

The frontman and bassist also took to the piano for a particularly tender moment of Typhoons album closer All We Have Is Now, which prompted a rare moment of silence from the audience.

Royal Blood brought plenty of pyrotechnics to their homecoming show. Picture: @roughboysmedia

Returning for their first encore, Royal Blood had the crowds in the palm of their hands, as they played their indomitable banger Figure It Out.

By the time they brought their epic set to a close with Ten Tonne Skeleton and debut album opener Out of the Black, the duo had whipped the crowds into a frenzy and cemented their status as hometown heroes - becoming as synonymous with the city as a stick of Brighton rock itself.