MIKE KERR and BEN THATCHER, who form the duo Royal Blood, tell NICKY FINDLEY what it's like to be in one of the country's most exciting rock bands and what people can expect from their Dorset gig this week.

ROYAL Blood’s breakthrough was huge. Their self-titled debut album was the fastest-selling British rock debut in three years, hitting number one in the UK and selling over a million copies.

Before they knew it, they were performing for Howard Stern, touring with the Foo Fighters and being presented with a BRIT for Best British Band in 2015.

Their ascendency to the music industry equivalent of royalty was further underlined with major awards courtesy of Kerrang!, NME and Q.

Now the band are on the road for their biggest headline tour to date which includes a show at Bournemouth International Centre on Tuesday.

It’s the first tour that the band will play in support of their highly acclaimed new album, How Did We Get So Dark?

When you listen to their music, it sounds as though there must be at least four or five musicians involved because the overall sound is huge - but Royal Blood is actually just a two-piece.

Lead vocalist and bass guitarist Mike Kerr, 28, and drummer Ben Thatcher, 29, both from West Sussex, met at college in their teens.

“We work really well together - we both take a simple approach to making music. I know it’s a bit of cliche, but we like stripping things back and my favourite riffs are so simple - we build it up from there.”

The band's sound is reminiscent of and rooted in modern blues rock, hard rock, garage rock, stoner rock and psychedelic rock.

With Ben on drums, Mike achieves an incredible sound that fills in the gap that most guitarists leave bare.

Royal Blood was formed at the beginning of 2013 after Mike returned to England from a sabbatical in Australia.

Apparently Ben picked him up from airport and the two decided to form a band. Mike says he can’t remember how he came up with the name Royal Blood.

“I don’t know where it came from. I just thought it looked good written down and it’s memorable but that’s about it. Some bands get bored of their name, but we’re both still very happy with it!”

Initially Mike says they “couldn’t get a gig in Worthing for months”, and “ended up just playing a lot of open-mic nights with acoustic singer-songwriters.”

Mike's main musical influence is Steven Hamblin from the rock band Graces Collide.

But although Ben loved music, he didn’t plan on being the frontman of a band.

“Although I always wanted to go into the music industry and I was in a band before this, I never thought I would sing or play bass - it certainly got me out of my comfort zone.”

But although Mike is literally in the spotlight when he’s performing, he says he never gets recognised away from the stage which he says suits him just fine.

“I never get recognised ever, “ he laughs. “There have been times when I’ve been able to leave my own show.

“I’ll be outside having a cigarette and no one knows it’s me! I think our music is famous now, but I don’t think we are yet and I don’t mind that.

“I find the whole celebrity thing tedious and stupid - I’m very grateful that I’m not Justin Bieber, put it that way.

“I think we’ve got the perfect situation at the moment although I expect that changes over time.”

He adds: “Ben gets recognised sometimes because he has a more iconic look, but I look different from every angle!”

Besides Howard Stern, another famous fan of Royal Blood is Led Zeppelin's guitarist Jimmy Page.

He said: "I went to hear them in New York. They were fantastic. Absolutely riveting, they're such fine musicians. Their album has taken the genre up a serious few notches. It's so refreshing to hear, because they play with the spirit of the things that have preceded them, but you can hear they're going to take rock into a new realm – if they're not already doing that. It's music of tremendous quality."

In the summer Royal Blood stormed the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival, with a wild, thunderous, celebratory and rapturously received set.

“It took about two weeks to get our heart rates back to normal after that,” recalls Mike. “The energy was ridiculous. A lot of stars aligned for us that day. I think it’s the best show we have ever done."

Mike says he is looking forward to playing at the BIC and hopes to surprise their fans.

“I feel we’re like a different band now from what people might have seen before. I feel like we’re better than ever and that we are finally doing the album justice now.”

He adds: “The scale of the show is ridiculous, it’s the biggest production we’ve ever had and by the time it gets to the UK it’s going to be absolutely mental.”

When I ask Mike how he likes to unwind after a gig, he admits he’s enjoying himself too much to want to take time out.

“We’re good friends, there is always a great atmosphere. I kind of don’t want to chill out - I’m having too much fun.”

n Royal Blood play at the BIC on Tuesday, November 28.