Kerr had earlier admitted to being rendered almost speechless by the power duo’s meteoric rise allowing them to perform – and fill – Britain’s newest cavernous arena.
But his gig was ruined on the home straight when a lunatic so-called ‘fan’ decided it would be a great idea to hurl a trainer at the enigmatic star.
In the words of Austin Powers – “Seriously, who would throw a shoe?”
Said missile – launched from the middle of the mosh pit – bounced heftily off Kerr’s right shoulder having missed smacking him flush in the face by a matter of inches. It must have hurt. A lot.
Smiles turned to grimaces as he took out his anger on his bass, hitting the strings with even more fury.
To his credit he didn’t miss a note of Ten Tonne Skeleton before summoning his head of security and holding the projectile aloft screaming, “If the shoe fits” before urging audience members to help “find the ****).
Kerr then thundered through second encore track Out Of The Black while storming from stage still clearly furious – leaving his bass guitar hanging markedly from the microphone stand.
It was a bitter end to an enthralling show from one of the most exciting new British rock acts of the past decade.
The notoriously “difficult” second album test has been passed with aplomb with How Did We Get So Dark? taking their trademark hybrid post-grunge rock to a different level.
Quite how Kerr gets the sounds outs of his array of bass guitars is a new wonder of the modern world but complemented by the powerhouse beats from best-friend and drummer Ben Thatcher the Brighton-born pair put on a show that is simply breath-taking.
Kerr’s bass notes are like a Mike Tyson punch to the solar plexus as they open with the anthemic Lights Out and there is no let-up throughout a rip-roaring 90 minute set.
The 3d lighting is a revelation but there is a welcome attraction to the staging during I Only Lie When I Love You – as a pair of catsuit-attired backing singers take to a rear podium.
The girl’s come and go when needed but despite their aesthetic appeal it’s nigh on impossible to take your eyes off Ker as he completely dominates the stage wherever he treads.
With only two albums under their belt the setlist pretty much takes care of itself building towards a thumping main set finale of How Did We Get So Dark, Loose Change and then the raise-the-roof thunder of Figure It Out causing complete mayhem in the 12,000 audience.
When the Brit Awards come in the new year Royal Blood surely must be a shoe-in.