Royal Blood postpone Dublin show after Mike Kerr tests positive for Covid

Royal Blood have been forced to postpone their upcoming 3Arena Dublin gig alongside their remaining UK shows, and Paris date after Mike Kerr tested positive for Covid-19.

The rockers were meant to perform in the Irish capital on April 5th. A statement from the band’s Mike Kerr reads: “I’m heartbroken to write this, but despite being fully protected and taking precautions, I have tested positive for COVID following last night’s show at The O2 Arena.

“This morning I’ve woken up to discover I have lost my voice. Unfortunately, this isn’t something I can ‘power through’, I currently cannot sing a single note. My voice has gone.

“I’m absolutely gutted. We were having the time of our lives up there, and your support and passion is not taken for granted for one second.

“I’m so sorry to advise that I cannot continue the tour and want to apologise for the huge disappointment and inconvenience this will cause you all. We will work as hard as we can to reschedule the shows for as soon as possible.”

The band go on to say that their upcoming North American dates remain unaffected.

Due to illness the remaining Royal Blood tour dates in the UK, Dublin, and Paris have been postponed. Fans are advised to keep hold of their tickets. All tickets will remain valid for any rescheduled dates. pic.twitter.com/QHW3I3GdRk

— Royal Blood (@royalblooduk) March 31, 2022

Their lauded, self-titled debut album in 2014 saw Royal Blood shoot to fame. The LP, which became the fastest selling UK rock debut in years, and earned a coveted Mercury Prize nomination, catapulted the Brighton duo to unprecedented heights at a ferocious velocity. Lead vocalist and bassist Mike Kerr, who was in his early twenties at the time, was on top of the world – but as he and drummer Ben Thatcher set off on a gruelling touring schedule, followed by another tour in support of their second album, 2017’s How Did We Get So Dark?.

The duo's latest album Typhoons shot straight to No.1 on the Official Irish Albums Chart, as did their debut album.

“These songs have gone down a lot better than we thought they would,” frontman Mike Kerr tells Hot Press at the time. “For a traditional Royal Blood fan, we’ve probably made quite a challenging record. It wasn’t made with that purpose in mind – to try and challenge anyone. This was just the album that we wanted to make, despite what anyone was going to think."

“The Workman’s Club was awesome,” Kerr added of their 2014 Dublin headliner. “I feel really bad because I can’t remember the name of the support band! [It was Dublin band Leaders of Men, who graced the cover of Hot Press back in 2011] Not only were they great, but they were such nice guys. I remember the show ended by kind of turning into a karaoke night. We all sang ‘Copacabana’ on stage, playing bongos... It was wicked.”

Revisit Royal Blood's May 2021 chat with Hot Press here.