Royal Blood have announced two intimate warm-up shows ahead of their upcoming UK and European tour.

• READ MORE: Royal Blood on the cover: “Without sobriety, this album or this band wouldn’t exist. It was all quite scary”

The shows will take place at Nottingham’s Rock City on May 26 and Newcastle’s O2 City Hall on June 21 – giving fans the chance to see the band in a more intimate setting before they play a series of festivals and stadium support slots with Muse this summer.

Both of the newly announced venues have a capacity of approximately 2,000, with tickets on sale on sale from 10am this Thursday (April 6) and available here.

The duo – which is comprised of Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher – will then embark on a series of live performances throughout the UK and Europe throughout the summer. This includes appearances at festivals including Glastonbury and TRNSMT, as well as headline slots at Truck, Kendal Calling and Y Not festival.

Alongside a number of headline appearances, including a homecoming event at Brighton’s On The Beach show in July, Royal Blood will also be performing as special guests for Muse during their run of UK tour dates.

The rock duo will support Matt Bellamy and co at stadium performances in Plymouth, Huddersfield and Milton Keynes. Find a full list of upcoming UK shows listed below.

MAY
26 – Nottingham, Rock City
27 – Plymouth, Home Park (with Muse)
JUNE
20 – Huddersfield, John Smith’s Stadium (with Muse)
21 – Newcastle, O2 City Hall
21-25 – Glastonbury
25 – Milton Keynes Bowl (with Muse)
JULY
9- TRNSMT
23 – Truck Festival
27-30 – Kendal Calling
28-30 – Y NOT? Festival
29 – Brighton Beach

Last year, NME reviewed of Royal Blood’s headline show London’s O2 arena. The show, which was the band’s biggest London show to date, featured a celebration of the duo’s friendship with late Foo Fighters drummer, Taylor Hawkins.

In the review, NME described the gig as one that showcased “their primal energy [and] certain swagger”, as well as a display of their “life and togetherness, as well as how far they’ve come as pals.”

In 2021, the duo spoke as part of NME’s Big Read, in which they opened up about Kerr’s switch to sobriety, and how his struggles impacted the band’s dynamic.

“I wasn’t really functioning very well after the end of that second tour. Instead of destroying the bass, I was basically destroying myself,” said Kerr. “I got to a point in my life where I had to change my life and reorganise everything.”

He continued: “Sobriety was something I knew I had to do in order to make this record [2021’s ‘Typhoons’]. This album or this band wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t have done this. It was all quite scary.”

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