LOUD enough to wake the dead is how you’d best describe Brighton duo Royal Blood. Unfortunately it still wasn’t noisy enough to rouse the majority of the sleepy Bournemouth audience.

Don’t get me wrong, it was a fantastic show and not a damning verdict on the band. It’s just on a freezing Tuesday night there’s only so much care-free abandon and hedonism that you can expect back from the packed crowd at the BIC.

This was also despite the best warm-up exertions of At The Drive In and Black Honey. The latter putting on an exceptional performance and surely destined for big things.

With no fanfare, Royal Blood got things swiftly underway just after 9pm and straight into a sonic onslaught with recent-ish single, Lights On. With Mike Kerr on vocals/bass and Ben Thatcher on drums, these lads create an almighty sound.

If you had to try and place them musically with other similar acts, they’re not quite as melodic as The White Stripes or as aggressive as Slaves. That probably doesn’t help, but what they do works for them and the musicianship between Mike and Ben is seriously impressive.

Alternating between tracks from 2014’s self-titled debut album and this year’s follow-up How Did We Get So Dark?. There was no let-up in the tempo, aside from a bit of sweary motivational banter from frontman Mike and the appearance of two slinky backing singers on I Only Lie When I Love You.

Apart from an intermittent mosh pit forming near the front row, it must have been difficult for Royal Blood to read the BIC crowd. Things picked up when Ben Thatcher unleashed a titanic drum solo reminiscent of Queen’s Roger Taylor to whoops and applause.

There was even a large gong hanging behind his drum kit, but we didn’t get a Bohemian Rhapsody style ending. Instead the audience was treated to the drummer using a burning torch to blow fire against the gong.

At least I think that’s what happened, as a health and safety officer quickly dowsed the torch in a bucket after a few seconds. Aside from that it was just Mike and Ben doing what they do best and belting out the tunes.

It was left to the huge 2014 single Figure It Out, to finally get everyone up and moving. This hinted at the sheer devastation that Royal Blood would have caused if the crowd were more up for it.

By this point, there was only time left for a brief encore and the tracks Ten Tonne Skeleton and Out of the Black to send everyone home. Mike earlier asked the audience where the best place to go out in Bournemouth would be.

For most it would probably be bed and not the after-party over the road at 60 Million Postcards. Well it is a school night after all.