Mike Kerr shouldn’t be able to make that much noise. It’s physically annoying, honestly. You look at the stage and see two guys. One is Ben Thatcher, usually looking like he’s about to break a cymbal out of pure spite, and the other is Kerr, holding a short-scale bass that looks like a toy in his hands. Then the riff starts. It’s not just loud; it’s wide. It’s the kind of sound that makes you look around for a hidden guitarist behind the curtain.
But there isn't one. There never has been.
Since 2011, Royal Blood Mike Kerr has been the subject of a thousand YouTube tutorials and gear forum arguments. How does he do it? Is it a POG2? Is it three different amps? Is he actually playing a guitar with bass strings? People get weirdly obsessed with the "how" and often miss the "why."
He’s basically the guy who looked at a bass guitar and decided it was bored.
The Secret Sauce of the Royal Blood Mike Kerr Sound
If you’ve ever tried to cover "Figure It Out" in your bedroom, you’ve probably realized a standard fuzz pedal isn't going to cut it. You just end up with a muddy mess that sounds like a lawnmower in a basement. Kerr’s rig is a masterpiece of signal splitting.
Basically, he’s running multiple paths. One signal stays clean and deep—that’s your traditional bass foundation. The others? They’re sent through octave shifters, specifically the Electro-Harmonix POG2 and the Boss PS-6 Harmonist. These pitch the signal up an octave, mimicking a six-string guitar.
But here is the kicker: those "guitar" signals aren't going into a bass amp. They’re being fed into high-gain guitar heads, like Fender Supersonics or Orange stacks.
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It's All in the Switching
Kerr doesn't just "turn on" a pedal. He switches entire signal chains. This is why the choruses in Royal Blood songs feel like a wall falling on you.
- The Verse: Often just the clean bass or a light grit.
- The Chorus: He kicks in the "guitar" amps, and suddenly the frequency spectrum is full.
- The Solo: He might add a second octave up or a "dive bomb" effect using the PS-6.
He uses a Palmer Triage Amp Selector to manage this chaos. It’s less about being a bassist and more about being a conductor of electrical interference. Honestly, his pedalboard probably costs more than my first three cars combined.
The "Boilermaker" Shift and Beyond
For a while, everyone thought they had Kerr figured out. "Okay, he's the bass-as-guitar guy." Then Typhoons happened. Then Back to the Water Below (2023) dropped, and things got... piano-heavy?
Wait.
People were worried. Was the "riff-god" turning into a lounge singer? Not quite. Royal Blood Mike Kerr actually started his musical life on the piano. Going back to the keys for tracks like "Pull Me Through" wasn't a departure; it was a homecoming.
I think the biggest misconception is that Royal Blood is a "gimmick" band. People think if you took away the pedals, there’d be nothing left. But if you listen to the songwriting on the 2023 record, the hooks are more sophisticated. He’s moved past just writing riffs that sound cool with a lot of distortion. He’s writing actual songs.
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Sobriety and the "New" Mike Kerr
You can't really talk about Mike Kerr in 2026 without mentioning his journey with sobriety. He’s been open about getting sober in Las Vegas of all places—downing an espresso martini and deciding he was done. That was back in 2019.
Since then, the music has changed. It’s less frantic, maybe a bit more intentional. He admitted in several interviews that he had to "relearn" how to write songs without the haze of alcohol.
"I realized that if I keep doing this, I'm going to die. For some people, that isn't enough of a wake-up call."
That’s a heavy quote for a guy who makes "California Riff-Rock." But it’s real. That honesty is why the fanbase has stayed so loyal even as the sound evolved from the raw, bluesy stomp of the debut album to the disco-infused grooves of Typhoons.
What's Actually in the 2026 Rig?
If you're a gear nerd, you’re probably wondering if he’s still using those Gretsch Junior Jets.
He’s moved around a lot. We’ve seen the Fender Starcaster Basses (which are semi-hollow and look incredible) and, of course, his signature Tiger’s Blood Orange Jaguar Bass.
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- Scale Length: He almost always plays 30" short-scale basses.
- Why? Because you can play them like a guitar. He can reach intervals and perform bends that would be a nightmare on a full 34" scale Fender Precision.
- Pickups: His signature Jag uses a "Wide Range" humbucker in the middle and a mini-humbucker at the bridge. This combo is designed specifically to handle the high-gain "fake guitar" side of his signal without turning into a squealing mess.
Why He Still Matters in a Post-Rock World
Let’s be real: rock isn't the giant it used to be. But Royal Blood keeps hitting #1 in the UK.
They’ve managed to bridge the gap between "dad rock" (the Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath influences) and "indie sleaze" (the White Stripes and Queens of the Stone Age vibes). Mike Kerr is the face of that bridge. He’s a frontman who doesn't need a guitar to be a guitar hero.
People often ask me if they're better live or on record. Honestly? Live. Every time. On the record, you can trick yourself into thinking there are overdubs and extra musicians. When you see it live, and you see Mike’s foot dancing across the controller to trigger different amps, it’s a different experience. It’s high-wire act rock and roll.
The 2026 Outlook
Rumors are swirling about a fifth album (let's call it RB5 for now). After a relatively quiet 2025, the band has been spotted in the studio again. If history is any indicator, Kerr is likely tinkering with a new way to split his signal that will make every bassist in the world go: "Wait, I need to buy another pedal?"
Actionable Steps for Aspiring "Kerr-style" Players
If you want to capture even 10% of that Royal Blood Mike Kerr energy, don't just buy a fuzz pedal.
- Split Your Signal: Use an ABY box or a dedicated splitter. Send one side to a bass amp for the "thump."
- Octave is King: Get a polyphonic octave pedal. The POG2 is the gold standard, but the Sub 'N' Up or the Pitch Fork works too.
- Short Scale is Easier: If you have small hands or want to play fast riffs, try a 30" scale bass. It changes the tension of the strings and makes "guitar" techniques much more viable.
- Humbuckers over Single Coils: You need high output to drive those guitar amps. Single coils will hum like crazy when you add the amount of gain Kerr uses.
- Watch the Mids: The "guitar" sound in Royal Blood isn't just treble; it's heavy in the low-mids. That’s where the "size" comes from.
Whether he's playing a custom Manson or a Fender Jag, Mike Kerr has proven that the limitations of an instrument are usually just in the player's head. You don't need a six-string to be the loudest person in the room. You just need a couple of amps and the guts to turn them all up at once.