Royal Blood address backlash to festival performance controversy
It's been a bit of a week for Royal Blood.
British rock duo Royal Blood have broke their silence following criticism they faced after frontman Mike Kerr insulted the crowd during BBC's Big Weekend.
Due to scheduling, the crowd at the Dundee-based festival were made up of fans of other artists including Lewis Capaldi and Niall Horan, which led to some bristling from the rock act.
Throughout their set, Kerr mocked the audience for not liking rock music and not clapping, calling them "pathetic". He even through his guitar to the ground at the end of the performance, flipping the crowd off as the band left the stage.
The band received backlash when clips showing their behaviour subsequently went viral.
However, speaking on BBC DJ Greg James' show this week, Kerr said he "meant no offence" by his actions on stage, saying it was down to his sense of humour.
Royal Blood making their feelings known about the crowd at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend yesterday ?
— The Rock Revival (@TheRockRevival_) May 29, 2023
Royal Blood break silence on festival backlash
"Yeah that really escalated," stated Kerr upon being asked about the response after the show.
Drummer Ben Thatcher added, “It was a moment of madness that has gotten out of control, I think. And we actually love the gig. We love playing music, and we love doing what we do. So it’s been a bit of a mad week to come out of this.”
Speaking about the online backlash following the show, Kerr said: "I’m amazed, honestly, at how that escalated to that kind of size. Walking off from that show I felt I was being entertaining in a way of trying to lighten the situation, perhaps.
"I was doing a performance where I felt a little out of place. I expected to be a little bit bemused and maybe confuse a few people, but not to that kind of scale. Yeah, [it's] pretty wild."
He then added, "It was somewhat of a blip on my part because it would have taken me three minutes to think, 'Oh, maybe these people don’t know who you are.' But I wasn’t going through that thought process. I was, like, very pumped backstage. And I actually really enjoyed playing. I had a great time.
"The ending, to me, I felt like a sort of pro wrestler. I felt like a sort of pantomime villain, I didn’t feel like I’d done anything morally wrong. I felt like a bit of a windup, honestly."
When asked to share a message to the people at the show, Kerr said: “My message is that I meant no offense. We look forward to coming back. And applause is optional.”
Check out the full interview below.
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