Royal Blood on returning to their heavy roots and why "there's more to life than rock 'n' roll"

20 August 2026, 19:55 | Updated: 20 August 2026, 23:49

Royal Blood: "There's more to life than rock 'n' roll"

By Jenny Mensah

Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher spoke to Radio X about taking a break to appreciate everyday life and how it inspired a return to a heavier sound on their new album Dead Company.

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Royal Blood have discussed their return to music, taking a much-needed break and "falling back in love with playing heavy music again".

Last week saw the Brighton duo - comprised of singer and bassist Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher - announce their fifth studio album Dead Company and share its first single Ten Over Ten.

Now, speaking to Radio X's Dan O'Connell - the pair have talked about everything from family life, to their "raw and visceral" new material and what to expect from their upcoming live dates.

Quizzed on the heaviness of their new record and asked if they've been inspired by Motörhead on its sound, Kerr mused: "We haven't sort of gone in wanting to play really heavy music for like over a decade, which seems mental. And I don't think we were like directly referencing those things, but I mean, I love Motörhead and perhaps, you know, being bass and drums, it kind of naturally in that direction."

The band are set to take the album out on notably modest tour dates this Winter and asked why they didn't go bigger, Thatcher replied: "Well, I think these venues that are selected suit this record, really. You know, the [Glasgow] Barrowlands, there's a place that we love to play and have such a great energy in that room."

"You want to be amongst it," added Kerr. "You want to feel a part of it, like Ben was saying. I think this record in particular, those venues are going to be the most fun, I think, for everyone."

Dan O'Connell talks to Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher of Royal Blood. Picture: Radio X

Despite recording much of the album last year, the band took a considerable break - a period in which Thatcher became a father for the first time and Kerr revealed he got engaged - and the band believe that living an ordinary life has allowed them to take stock and come back more inspired.

Kerr explained: "We did our last show sort of August 2024, and we decided that it might be a kind of smart move to resist going into the studio and just kind of going through the motions and I think as a result, it meant that, you know, January 2nd of 2025, we were just so ready to go. And that energy, I think, informed the whole record.

"So yeah, it was, it was a lot of fun. It was just like, fast, really, really heavy... I think we were really excited to play and had fallen back in love with playing really heavy music again."

Speaking of their approach to their time off, Thatcher added: "I think we're more settled. I think just growing up a little bit more, and, you know... We spent the last 10 years being on tour and travelling the world and not really wanting that to stop and taking every opportunity. And I think we've got to the age where you can settle down a little bit and enjoy it and reflect and be proud of what you've done and what you've achieved, and also go forward and do that again but with a little bit more clarity, maybe, with what we want to do and where we want to do it."

Asked how he's finding fatherhood, Thatcher told the Radio X DJ: "I'm loving it. It is brilliant. It's the next stage is balancing a rock and roll lifestyle with a baby, but I'm not the first to do it and not the last, so we'll work it out."

The "family orientated" Lights Out rockers also expressed how spending time with their close friends and loved ones was a hugely important part of their time off.

Kerr mused: "There's a really good Jeff Buckley quote I saw the other day actually, which was, 'Without ordinary life, there's no art.' And that really kind of sums up what [Ben's] saying. That needs to be cared for and nurtured... Yeah, I think that has actually made the music better."

Thatcher declared: "Yeah, there's more to life than rock and roll!" to which the frontman added: "It meant when we were going into the studio, it was just full of excitement and kind of gratitude that we still get to do this."

Royal Blood in 2026: Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher. Picture: Edward Cooke/Press

Royal Blood's fifth studio album Dead Company is set for release on 13th November via Warner Records and is available to pre-order now at royalbloodband.com.

The ten-track album is Royal Blood's first new material since the release of 2023's Back To The Water Below and announcing the project, the band said: "After putting the Royal Blood engine in neutral for a couple of years, we've been building up the revs and are playing faster and harder than ever with this album.

"Written and recorded with the stage in mind, we cannot wait to play it live for years to come.”

See the artwork for Dead Company and its tracklist below:

Royal Blood - Dead Company album cover. Picture: Press

Royal Blood - Dead Company trackllist:

Dead Company
Swallow The Bomb
Ten Over Ten
Mother Never Told You
Nowhere All Along
Ride
Rear View Mirror
Take 'Em All
Tapping Out
The Closer

Watch the official video for the album's lead single Ten Over Ten below, which was inspired by Kerr training for a marathon and explores endurance and pushing yourself to the limit.