Royal Blood face backlash following bizarre on-stage meltdown

Brighton-based rock duo Royal Blood has sparked controversy after a bizarre on-stage meltdown at BBC Radio One's Big Weekend in Dundee. Frontman Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher's performance at the event on Sunday was marked by open swearing and mocking of what they called "pathetic fans".

Kerr began by mocking the audience, suggesting that they didn't know who the band was. "Well, I guess we should introduce ourselves considering no one knows who we actually are," he said.

He then proceeded to introduce the band in a condescending tone, “We're called Royal Blood and this is rock music. Who likes rock music? Nine people... brilliant.”

When the crowd didn’t respond, he taunted, "We're having to clap ourselves because that was so pathetic. Well done, Ben."

As the performance neared its end, Kerr smashed his guitar on the stage and left with middle fingers to the crowd, flipping off the audience, while Thatcher appeared to be singling out members of the crowd and urging them to smile.

Following the incident, the band received backlash online after a clip of the incident went viral.

One user tweeted: "No matter what level you get to, you're never better than the audience."

Another said: "Man, some gigs are tough and you have to win over the crowd, but this is exactly how NOT to react."

Meanwhile, Royal Blood recently revealed that their upcoming album, titled Back to the Water Below, will be released on September 8. This follows the release of their previous album, Typhoons, in 2021.