Right now, everybody wants a piece of Royal Blood. On a given day, Mike Kerr (vocals/bass) and Ben Thatcher (drums) might be hanging with superfan Jimmy Page. On another, they might be supporting the Foo Fighters at the personal request of Dave Grohl. Then there’s the daily business of blowing the planet’s eardrums, with the tunes that made last year’s self-titled debut the fastest-selling rock album in three years. All told, it’s not bad going for a bass/drums duo from Brighton, who only formed in 2013. “If you’d told me all this two years ago,” shrugs Mike, “I wouldn’t have believed you.”

It’s quite a coup to score an exclusive video interview with Mike – and even more unprecedented to get the tight-lipped frontman talking tech. When Royal Blood detonated the British festival circuit last year, Mike’s ferocious, octave-straddling bass soundscapes had gearheads craning their necks to clock the details of his pedalboard. Since then, a thousand guitar journalists have tried to charm those setup secrets out of him – only to be stonewalled and sidestepped. “It took me a long time and a lot of work to get my sound,” Mike told one writer, “so it’s not something I want anyone to run off with.”

Now, Mike lifts the lid on the BOSS gear that drives that seismic tone, revealing his maverick approach to his three BOSS PS-6 Harmonist pedals, BOSS GE-7 Graphic Equalizer, BOSS TU-3 Tuner and the BOSS LS-2 Line Selector that lets him crank multiple amps to nosebleed volume. It’s essential viewing for anyone who wants to learn from the man who’s pushing the sonic envelope further than anyone else on the modern rock scene. “Every time I get a pedal,” Mike tells us, “I never end up using it very conventionally. My theory with pedals is, when you get it, find the most extreme, stupidest thing possible – and then just leave it on…”