Ben Thatcher Royal Blood interview ahead of Stockton show

Following suit from their previous long players, the record became Royal Blood's fourth consecutive Number 1 in the Official UK Charts.

The band has been touring relentlessly this year, including an action-packed festival season.

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The two-piece made a high-profile appearance at Glastonbury during the summer. "It's the most amazing experience I think you can get as a musician is playing on the Pyramid Stage.

We've been very fortunate to step on that stage twice,” said Royal Blood drummer Ben Thatcher.

“I remember the first time very well; it was very exciting. And there's lots of celebrity’s backstage. And the atmosphere there is a bit crazy.”

With that experience in their back pocket, the group were more aware of what to expect on their visit to Worthy Farm this summer.

Ben Thatcher (Image: ADAM KENNEDY)

“This time, we felt like we knew where it was - like going to the same pub again,” he said.

“And so, we felt a little bit more comfortable, I guess, playing this one.

But it was just a similar experience, very overwhelming. But I think once you've stepped on stage, you realise that you play these gigs all the time.

And it's nothing different than being onstage anywhere else in that sense. But yes, it's a special moment for any artist or band that plays on the Pyramid Stage.”

Royal Blood has just returned to the UK from a run of dates in the US.

“We've been away literally since May. And we're still going,” he said. “But yeah, America is fantastic. We've just done a month there.

And that's always a fun place for us to tour. We've done a lot of Europe and as you say, all these festivals in the UK.”

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The band are about to hit the road across the UK whilst promoting Back to the Water Below.

The group’s impending tour will include a date in the North East at the Globe in Stockton on Sunday 22nd of October.

“We're looking forward to this next run and coming back and playing some of these cool venues that we haven't played in years.

Because I think the last time we toured the UK properly, we were doing the arena tour, maybe? And so, these rooms are slightly smaller.

A bit more intimate. But big enough to get a good energy from everybody.”

The band’s North East return follows off the back of their festival warm-up show at the O2 City Hall in Newcastle in the summer.

Performing in the North of England is something that the band enjoys a lot. "Oh, we love it. We love touring - there are not many places down south to go to.

Obviously, we are southern boys, and we would play down in Brighton, but then the next place I guess you get to - Portsmouth and Bournemouth or somewhere like that.

But apart from that, everywhere is north for us. So, it just gets better and better the more north you go.”

Ben attributes some of that to Newcastle’s own Sam Fender.

“You see his fans, and you see those Newcastle flags go up, and it's Black and white everywhere.

I know he's obviously a local boy.

But there's an atmosphere about people in Newcastle. And there always has been,” explains Ben.

“I remember, even before Sam Fender was up there, I remember seeing people in the streets, and it's freezing cold, walking around with no tops.”

The drummer recollects one show in Newcastle where he got a bit more than he bargained for.

“There was one show in Newcastle, I remember where I jumped into the crowd.

And someone took my shoe.

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And I got back on stage, and I was like, right - who's got my shoe? I was like, come on, give it back. And no one owned up to it,” recollects Ben.

“Anyway, I got a tweet. I have a picture of my shoe with some lad. And I tweeted him back, and he was basically saying, I'll come and meet you. It was quite funny. But that chaotic side of Newcastle has always been there. But yes, it's just a great place.”

Ben Thatcher is a powerhouse drummer. But which artists inspired Royal Blood’s sticks man himself? "Well, Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins and Chad Smith are my trio,” he said.

“Obviously, after I heard Dave Grohl play, I saw where he got his inspiration from with John Bonham. And then, with Taylor, I saw his inspiration from Stewart Copeland.

And Chad was obviously very funky.” He adds: "Then Jon Theodore is definitely a guy for me. The first time I heard Mars Volta, and that proggy mad drum stuff that he was doing there, it was insane. That completely inspired me. But yeah, I guess those four shaped me.”

Touring will be on the band's agenda for the rest of the year. "The map is very clear. So, we're doing this UK run. And then we fly back and do a West Coast

of America tour. So, we just did the East Coast,” he said. “Then we go and do Australia and New Zealand. And we get home just before Christmas.”

Royal Blood will perform at The Globe in Stockton on Sunday 22nd of Oct.