Royal Blood review – Typhoons, plus Julia Stone – Sixty Summers

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Frontman Mike Kerr’s pouty, sullen vocal delivery and their “we’re a serious band” press shots have only added to the sense that they were basically playing the role of rock stars. Fame gets the blame on “Who Needs Friends”, with him sneering: “I got cheapskates on my right, vultures up ahead/ And when I turn my back, they snatch up what is left.” Abandoning the more cliché aspects of a rock’n’roll lifestyle hasn’t dented the ferocity of Royal Blood’s sound. Julia Stone – Sixty Summers ★★★★☆ open image in gallery Stone’s new album is a departure from her previous languid folk songs It was a friend who shocked Julia Stone out of her complacency. Songs such as 2010’s “Big Jet Plane” had her singing in a sweet but often passive falsetto; now she revels in the freedom to explore new territory.