Royal Blood have become one of the most important British rock bands of their generation since emerging 12 years ago.

Each of their four albums has hit #1 in the UK Charts, shifting over one million records, becoming an arena-filling, festival-headlining tour de force, and forerunners of the guitar rock revival.

Following a period away from the spotlight, the Brighton-based band - Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher - returned last month with the explosive new single, ‘Ten Over Ten’, the first taste of their fifth album, ‘Dead Company’.

Arriving on 13th November, ‘Dead Company’marks a powerful new chapter for the duo as they set out to make an album as raw, human and visceral as possible.

Drummer Ben is a prominent fan of Brighton & Hove Albion and has close ties to the club.

The band’s debut single ‘Out Of The Black’ is the walkout track for the Seagulls at the Amex, with Ben also making time to support the work of the club’s charity, the Brighton & Hove Albion Foundation.

How did you become a Brighton fan?

I became a Brighton fan from a mix of my location, my love for football and my mates.

I would say I got properly hooked when we moved from the Withdean to the Amex in 2011 and have been a season ticket holder since.

What are your earliest memories of watching the club?

My earliest memory of watching Brighton play was back in October 1995 at the Goldstone Ground. I would have been seven years old, sat behind the goal.

Brighton were battling it out in Division 2 against Swindon Town, which we unfortunately lost 3-1.

Who were your Albion heroes growing up?

There were many I loved watching through those early days at the Amex, including Vicente and Liam Bridcutt, but my Albion hero was and still is Glenn Murray.

What's your favourite Brighton memory?

That's an easy question to answer as it was one of the best days and years of my life. Brighton winning 2-1 against Wigan and getting promoted to the Premier League.

The celebrations were wild, and the whole city was buzzing.

Do you get to many matches?

I get to as many as I possibly can.

The thing with being a touring musician is that you can be away for long periods, but I've had two years off the road, writing and recording our new record, so I've only missed the odd game for the past few seasons.

How do you see the Third Round tie against Manchester United going?

That's a much harder question to answer.

Our record against United has been very good up until the last game of last season. We have also seemed to have found quite a bunch of goals lately.

It would obviously be great to beat them and progress, but we do have both the Premier League and a good place in Europe to consider.

Listen to ‘Ten Over Ten’ by Royal Blood on the EFL Matchday Playlist on Spotify.

Carabao Cup Q&A: Brighton fan and Royal Blood drummer gives verdict on tonight's clash with Manchester United

Carabao Cup Q&A: Brighton fan and Royal Blood drummer gives verdict on tonight's clash with Manchester United