Royal Blood is an English rock duo formed in Worthing in 2011. The current lineup consists of Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher (drums). Their signature sound is built around Kerr's bass playing style, which sees him using various effects pedals and amps to make his bass guitar sound like an electric guitar and bass guitar at the same time. The duo were signed by Warner Chappell Music in 2013 and have since released four studio albums: Royal Blood (2014), How Did We Get So Dark? (2017), Typhoons (2021), and Back to the Water Below (2023).

The 2019 edition of the Kerrang! Awards, a ceremony recognising achievements in rock music over the preceding twelve months, took place on June 19, 2019. As has long been the case for the Kerrang! Awards, the winners for the major categories were determined by fan votes from a shortlist of nominees, itself determined by a period of open fan nominee submissions.