Royal Blood were making headlines last week, after they flipped off the crowd and branded them as “pathetic” at the BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend festival.
A viral video taken towards the end of their set shows the rock-duo calling out the audience for their lukewarm reaction to the performance, and it prompted discussion online as to who was to blame for the ordeal.
Some people blamed Royal Blood for their attitude, others blamed the crowd for their lack of enthusiasm, and some took exception to the promoters who booked the rock-duo between big pop acts.
Royal Blood’s Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher have now spoken out about the incident, speaking to Greg James on BBC 1.
“Yeah, that really escalated,” Kerr said when he was asked about the response to the viral video.
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.”
Kerr continued, “I’m amazed honestly, at how that escalated to that kind of size. I think 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, pretty wild.
He 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 was sort of walking off like — 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. That’s how I felt."
Kerr also said he was swept up in the moment while onstage, and he “didn’t mean any offence."
“My intention is never to alienate anyone or kind of push anyone away," he added.
Have a watch of the interview up top.
Royal Blood’s new album Back To The Water Below is set to arrive September 8th - you can pre order it here.
