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Liam O'Dell
May 30, 2023
Royal Blood appear to criticise crowd during Radio 1’s Big Weekend festival
content.jwplatform.com
Rock duo Royal Blood may have generated some bad blood with the crowd at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Dundee on Sunday, after singer Mike Kerr criticised the audience’s “pathetic” applause and stormed off giving them all the middle finger.
Classy.
Sandwiched between singer-songwriters Niall Horan and Lewis Capaldi, the 'Lights Out' and 'Out of the Black' performers, Kerr concluded their set by introducing themselves “seeing as no one actually knows who we are”.
“We’re called Royal Blood and this is rock music. Who likes rock music?
“Nine people – brilliant,” he said sarcastically.
Kerr then turned to introduce his other band member, drummer Ben Thatcher, but when he decided the applause was “pathetic” he decided he would have to “clap ourselves”.
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He then turned to the cameraman recording the set, asking: “Can you clap for us? Can you clap, or are you busy?
“Can you clap? Even he’s clapping – what does that say about you?” he added, turning to the audience.
With Kerr giving one final strum of his guitar before leaving it on the stage, and Thatcher hitting his cymbals one last time, the pair walked off – not before Kerr gave the crowd the middle finger while doing so, and Thatcher gestured to a section of the crowd to smile.
The duo’s reaction has since been slammed as “patronising”.
\u201c@TheRockRevival_ Speaking as a Royal Blood fan, I'm all for back and forth with the audience but ideally not:\n\n1) to an audience of teenagers\n2) when you come across like a sassy walk-on from Made In Chelsea\n\nRespect your audience, always. \ud83d\udc4f\u201d— The Rock Revival (@The Rock Revival) 1685377538
\u201c@TheRockRevival_ \ud83d\ude2c\u201d— The Rock Revival (@The Rock Revival) 1685377538
\u201c@TheRockRevival_ This is up there with this classic.\u201d— The Rock Revival (@The Rock Revival) 1685377538
\u201c@TheRockRevival_ Posh white kids whaaaaa\u201d— The Rock Revival (@The Rock Revival) 1685377538
\u201c@TheRockRevival_ arrogance is insecurity screaming. Instead of playing big man and getting sarky just play a great set and you'll win em over!\u201d— The Rock Revival (@The Rock Revival) 1685377538
\u201c@TheRockRevival_ They were just minutes from smashing up their Le Creuset\u201d— The Rock Revival (@The Rock Revival) 1685377538
\u201cdunno who royal blood thought their fans were like lol who put you in the top 40 huns? posh white men think they invented rock music \ud83d\ude2d\u201d— Ava-Santina (@Ava-Santina) 1685429708
\u201cI\u2019d be so fucking pissed if a band called ***ROYAL BLOOD*** hopped up on stage to play rock and roll, patronised me in a Waitrose accent and then had a literal tantrum because I wasn\u2019t making enough noise. I\u2019d actually lose the plot\u201d— \ud835\udd0f\ud835\udd26\ud835\udd29\ud835\udd29\ud835\udd26\ud835\udd31\ud835\udd25 \ud835\udd19\ud835\udd26\ud835\udd2b\ud835\udd21\ud835\udd26\ud835\udd20\ud835\udd31\ud835\udd26\ud835\udd33\ud835\udd22 (@\ud835\udd0f\ud835\udd26\ud835\udd29\ud835\udd29\ud835\udd26\ud835\udd31\ud835\udd25 \ud835\udd19\ud835\udd26\ud835\udd2b\ud835\udd21\ud835\udd26\ud835\udd20\ud835\udd31\ud835\udd26\ud835\udd33\ud835\udd22) 1685391380
\u201cSomeone once described Royal Blood to me as music for accountants who say they like a \u2018bit of rock\u2019 at the HSBC Christmas party. I\u2019ve never been able to see them in the same light ever since.\u201d— Nick Reilly (@Nick Reilly) 1685381605
\u201cAhhh, what a lovely relaxing Bank Holiday, now to log on for my first day as the PR Manager for very cool and popular band Royal Blood\u201d— Alexandra Haddow (@Alexandra Haddow) 1685429501
\u201cI bet all of Royal Blood own shares in Brewdog.\u201d— Kasimiira Kontio (@Kasimiira Kontio) 1685394271
Others, however, pointed out that placing a rock band between two pop stars probably wasn’t helpful:
\u201c@TheRockRevival_ Festival organisers put them on between Niall Horan and Lewis Capaldi, who\u2019s idea was that?\ud83d\ude05\u201d— The Rock Revival (@The Rock Revival) 1685377538
\u201c@Ryan0102030406 I think they\u2019re great but they shouldn\u2019t be taking it out on the crowd. The organisers put them between Niall Horan and Lewis Capaldi.\u201d— The Rock Revival (@The Rock Revival) 1685377538
Royal Blood are yet to comment on their outburst on Sunday, with their latest posts on Twitter and Instagram being about their gig in Nottingham the day before.
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