Royal Blood

[danweb22]

[quote name='azfatboy' timestamp='1493765975' post='3290584']
And just on the heels of my finally, just maybe, being able to "figure it out", it looks like Mike has changed just about his ENTIRE SETUP! Just watched [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AP1_H4CbBD4"]this video[/url] showing not only a new Fender offset bass (in multiple!), but also what looks to be a Multi-effect pedal, or is it just a MIDI/Pedal Looper and he's hidden all his pedals back in a rack somewhere??? About the only pedals I recognize are the two Boss PS-6 Harmonist pedals and that is probably still his BOSS Tuner on the far right. Anyone care to sleuth out what Mike's is pedaling now???

[attachment=244522:MikeKerrNEWPB.jpg]
[/quote]

Think he's using a custom multi effect pedal from COG Effects now

[azfatboy]

Hmmm. Well I just found this [url="https://www.facebook.com/RoyalBloodUK/photos/a.498430683555598.1073741826.152689148129755/1312618565470135/?type=3&theater"]panorama[/url] from their FB page. And if you pan around to the back, you can see a drawer full of effects (most notably dual POG-2's) just sticking out from behind the cabs... DAMN! I wish he wasn't so secretive about his setup!!!

[Elfrasho]

[quote name='azfatboy' timestamp='1493846288' post='3291300']
Hmmm. Well I just found this [url="https://www.facebook.com/RoyalBloodUK/photos/a.498430683555598.1073741826.152689148129755/1312618565470135/?type=3&theater"]panorama[/url] from their FB page. And if you pan around to the back, you can see a drawer full of effects (most notably dual POG-2's) just sticking out from behind the cabs... DAMN! I wish he wasn't so secretive about his setup!!!
[/quote]

Are you him by any chance? 😀😀

[azfatboy]

[quote name='Elfrasho' timestamp='1493847145' post='3291309']Are you him by any chance? [/quote]

Hah! Thank you I think? I got a good life, but right now I hope to be forgiven for answering "I WISH!!!" Unfortunately, I don't even have the right accent, let alone the talent...

I only found that pic by following @danweb22's link above, which took me to their twitter feed, and from their to their FB page.

Considering that this band, and Mike on bass in particular, is the reason I first picked up a bass less than a year ago, I guess you could say that I have just a tiny obsession with what he does and how he does it...

[azfatboy]

And speaking of obsession, I am getting closer and closer to copying his pedalboard. I have no interest nor do I see any real benefit to the Palmer Triage but the rest I want. It doesn't matter what else.

I actually have a completely separate bass pedal board. This is just my "guitar" pedal board, set up to split into a "clean" and a "dirty", with octavers in both chains. I think I finally have all the big pieces. Yeah, I'm missing an extra PS-6 or two, and using a Pitchfork in lieu of a second POG-2, and have a couple odd extras in there, but still, I am pretty excited to be this close

Edited June 4, 2017 by azfatboy

[T-Bay]

Just booked tickets for Nottingham in November, should be a good night.

[The59Sound]

The new Timmy C of setups!

[drTStingray]

I still like them but the recent performance on Later with Jools surprised me sound wise.

He appears to have changed to some type of Fender bass and the sound, for me was quite different - Fender basses have a thinner sound than Gibson/Guild style basses so whilst the sound was ok I wasn't as wowed as when I heard them previously. Anyone know why he has changed bass??

I know this will be anathema to the multitudes of Fender fans but if any of you have ever heard people play All Right Now on a Precision or Jazz you will know exactly what I mean.

[j1mu5]

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1497028036' post='3315450']
Just booked tickets for Nottingham in November, should be a good night.
[/quote]

I'm planning to go and see them that night too

[dudewheresmybass]

I suspect there is a fender endorsement deal going on. There was a big giveaway last year iirc of a fender bass with a RB album graphic design.
The bass on Jools looked like a jag with a mud bucket type pup in place of a p. Defo a custom job 😉

[MarkG3]

[quote name='MarkG3' timestamp='1410078652' post='2545818']
The Mrs told me about these guys last night, the songs I've heard are really cool, such a good tone too and really interesting how he achieves it
[/quote]

I tried watching them at Glastonbury this year and like others have said it really was very samey. The songs I've heard off their 2nd album definitely haven't made me want to check out the rest of the album like the first one.

But now listening back to the first album songs, I can only really listen to one at a time without skipping track to something else.

Still think his setup is interesting though. Not sure I could remember what does what lol

In the thread about his new basses I do like them though

[Elfrasho]

I think if they want longevity then they might need to think about dropping the bass does guitar routine. I know that's their 'thing' however it's going to sound samey after a while. 1st albums decent but it certainly didn't get played to death on my cd player! If the 2nd album is more of yhe same then I would imagine interest will start dropping pretty quickly! They've got decent songs though so I honestly think they would have more appeal at album 3 if they got a keyboard or guitarist in.

The fanboy purists will disagree with me no doubt!

[azfatboy]

[quote name='Elfrasho' timestamp='1498841104' post='3327518']
I think if they want longevity then they might need to think about dropping the bass does guitar routine. I know that's their 'thing' however it's going to sound samey after a while. 1st albums decent but it certainly didn't get played to death on my cd player! If the 2nd album is more of yhe same then I would imagine interest will start dropping pretty quickly! They've got decent songs though so I honestly think they would have more appeal at album 3 if they got a keyboard or guitarist in.

The fanboy purists will disagree with me no doubt!
[/quote]

Well I am not a purist, but I can't dissemble much further, as I am undoubtedly a fanboy, and yes I disagree, perhaps even vehemently...

Their debut album was the first album that got "stuck" on my playlist for months, and then after a break of a few months, got stuck again! I haven't had an album where I wanted to listen to the entire album, over and over again, for a very long time (not since Tool's Ænima). For me, they are not "missing" anything. Indeed, I think most folks that think Royal Blood "needs a guitar player" are listening with their eyes, and with the foreknowledge that it's just one dude with a bass up there. For those who are fortunate enough to first hear their music without those preconceptions, the subsequent discovery that its just a single bass making all those disparate parts is a revelation. In the end, I think that often determines where you end up on the "glass 3/4 full vs. glass 1/4 empty" spectrum.

And further keeping with the contrarian theme, I think the new album was almost too different! Far from being "more of the same", I thought the extensive production with the backing vocals, and even bigger sounds, strayed almost too far from the straight-forward sound that is their trademark, even if it still sounds pretty good. But for me it showed quite clearly that they not only have a lot of ground yet to explore, but that they are in fact expanding their sound, and not relying on the same-old same-old. I guess we all hear what we want to hear, though, eh?

[Dad3353]

Many years (no, decades..! ) ago, I attended an Atari show in Paris (I was freelance programming at that time...), and stumbled across a stand on which a lone trombone player was improvising, in many different styles, using a MIDI connection to an Atari. I can't remember exactly the name of the software ('Tangerine' comes vaguely to mind, or something close..?); this software was obeying his MIDI signals and playing a fully-orchestrated accompaniment, entirely in keeping with the genre he was playing, and very nicely harmonised. He would finish his piece, then play a couple of specific 'command' notes to switch styles, and carry on. Ragtime, Big Band, Orchestral Classical, Hot Rock... He had, it seemed, full control over the system with only his Trombone as both instrument and command. In the light of what I saw that day (I remained quite absorbed for quite some time watching the bloke...), seeing a fellow with a bass doubling up on 'guitar' looks quite modest, to me. I'm maybe missing something (and I'm a drummer, after all...), but I have yet to see what the big deal is, musically speaking. Still, it obviously appeals to some, so why not..?

Edit: 'Tango', not Tangerine' (well, I was close..!), that was it. I'm looking it up now to understand further...

Edit 2: 'Tango' still lives, apparently..! Here's the bloke, using it for a short video (warning: may contain some Jazz content...) ...

http://youtu.be/KQgo3Fbmsf8

Edited June 30, 2017 by Dad3353

[Elfrasho]

[quote name='azfatboy' timestamp='1498845093' post='3327556']

Indeed, I think most folks that think Royal Blood "needs a guitar player" are listening with their eyes, and with the foreknowledge that it's just one dude with a bass up there.
[/quote]

I get what you're saying... and don't get me wrong, I like what they do.. but how he plays bass limits the sound. Personally I think the songs and riffs are being held back by their self chosen limitations!

But opinions are like left testicles. Everyone's got one. Apart from women and one balled men.

[T-Bay]

[quote name='Elfrasho' timestamp='1498854348' post='3327632']


I get what you're saying... and don't get me wrong, I like what they do.. but how he plays bass limits the sound. Personally I think the songs and riffs are being held back by their self chosen limitations!

But opinions are like left testicles. Everyone's got one. Apart from women and one balled men.
[/quote]
Surely it should be 'and 50% of one balled men'?

[BrunoBass]

[quote name='Elfrasho' timestamp='1498841104' post='3327518']
I think if they want longevity then they might need to think about dropping the bass does guitar routine. I know that's their 'thing' however it's going to sound samey after a while. 1st albums decent but it certainly didn't get played to death on my cd player! If the 2nd album is more of yhe same then I would imagine interest will start dropping pretty quickly! They've got decent songs though so I honestly think they would have more appeal at album 3 if they got a keyboard or guitarist in.

The fanboy purists will disagree with me no doubt!
[/quote]

I'm a fan of the band, and of the first album too, but I agree with you.

The limitations of their line up dictates that they adapt and augment or risk creative stasis.

[Count Bassy]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1498845966' post='3327563']
[media]http://youtu.be/KQgo3Fbmsf8[/media]
[/quote]

That sounds bloody awful!

Edited July 1, 2017 by Count Bassy

[Dad3353]

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1498934993' post='3328136']
That sounds bloody awful!
[/quote]

Part and parcel of experimentation is the possibility of failure..! Or, to paraphrase Longfellow: 'When it was good, it was very, very good, and when is was bad, it was horrid.' It's a concept, and as such will be explored.
I must admit to not being enthralled by [i]all [/i]the sounds emitted by the topic's subject, either.

[drTStingray]

I personally think changing make of bass, and thus altering the sound has not been a change for the better. Their earlier stuff was truly thunderous.

[azfatboy]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1498845966' post='3327563']
Many years (no, decades..! ) ago, I attended an Atari show in Paris (I was freelance programming at that time...), and stumbled across a stand on which a lone trombone player was improvising, in many different styles, using a MIDI connection to an Atari. I can't remember exactly the name of the software ('Tangerine' comes vaguely to mind, or something close..?); this software was obeying his MIDI signals and playing a fully-orchestrated accompaniment, entirely in keeping with the genre he was playing, and very nicely harmonised. He would finish his piece, then play a couple of specific 'command' notes to switch styles, and carry on. Ragtime, Big Band, Orchestral Classical, Hot Rock... He had, it seemed, full control over the system with only his Trombone as both instrument and command. In the light of what I saw that day (I remained quite absorbed for quite some time watching the bloke...), seeing a fellow with a bass doubling up on 'guitar' looks quite modest, to me. I'm maybe missing something (and I'm a drummer, after all...), but I have yet to see what the big deal is, musically speaking. Still, it obviously appeals to some, so why not..?

Edit: 'Tango', not Tangerine' (well, I was close..!), that was it. I'm looking it up now to understand further...

Edit 2: 'Tango' still lives, apparently..! Here's the bloke, using it for a short video (warning: may contain some Jazz content...) ...

[media]http://youtu.be/KQgo3Fbmsf8[/media]
[/quote]

Umm, yeah, I guess it really is in the eyes of the beholder. I don't find trombone guy's "accomplishments" to be anything but ridiculous noise. Child's play in comparison. To understand what Mike Kerr is doing with his bass and with his pedals (it's hardly a static setup), all while singing, and to not at least admit the difficulty and uniqueness--seems to be purposefully wearing blinders whether one finds the music itself appealing or not.

[quote name='Elfrasho' timestamp='1498854348' post='3327632']
I get what you're saying... and don't get me wrong, I like what they do.. but how he plays bass limits the sound. Personally I think the songs and riffs are being held back by their self chosen limitations![/quote]

One person's "held back" is another persons "unique sound that no one else can duplicate". I don't find that part limiting at all. It makes for a cleaner sound. All too often the guitar is just mucking things up anyway...

[azfatboy]

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1499038694' post='3328802']I personally think changing make of bass, and thus altering the sound has not been a change for the better. Their earlier stuff was truly thunderous.[/quote]

Gotta admit that I agree, with the sentiment if not the cause. The first album was breakthrough, and the second much more mainstream. Just doesn't feel as raw and energetic to me. But then again, I don't know what RB could've done to even equal, let alone top, the first album to my ears.

But I'm not sure I am willing to lay the blame on the change in bass. He still uses the StarCaster basses, and the new custom Jag's all seem to sport at least one humbucker-style pickup, so I don't think he has strayed too far from the lineage of his Gretsch. For me, it's more just a different overall style of the material.

Edited July 3, 2017 by azfatboy

[Dad3353]

[quote name='azfatboy' timestamp='1499102819' post='3329196']...To understand what Mike Kerr is doing with his bass and with his pedals (it's hardly a static setup), all while singing, and to not at least admit the difficulty and uniqueness--seems to be purposefully wearing blinders whether one finds the music itself appealing or not...
[/quote]

I've no issues with the difficulty nor uniqueness of his prowess, but don't take those alone to be top criteria, that's all. Keith Emerson was skilled in wedging daggers into his keyboard, a quite unique feat at the time, but it didn't make his music more or less valid, just a (good...) showman's trick. I think the same of this bloke's dual-amp rig, which, for however technical it may be, is only putting out distorted bass lines. I'm quite certain that the trombone player is not to everyone's taste (I've heard better, myself...); I was just pointing out that being a 'one-man band' is not as new or original as all that. Keyboard players, for instance, have been doing that since J S Bach and before. Hats off to the fellow for doing his thing; I'll not be vying to copy his pedal-board, and will pass on the CDs. My loss, certainly.