Brighton duo Royal Blood have been tipped as an act to watch by the BBC in its annual poll of music industry insiders.

The pair is one of 15 acts shortlisted for the BBC Sound of 2014, past winners of which have included Adele and Ellie Goulding. 

Royal Blood are Mike Keer on bass and vocals and Ben Thatcher on drums.

The BBC said of them: "Championed by BBC Introducing, their brand of melodic, riff-heavy power rock has drawn comparisons to the likes of White Stripes and Queens Of The Stone Age.

"The two-piece only came together at the start of 2013, when Mike returned from a trip to Australia. Ben picked him up from the airport, and they decided to form a band on the journey home. They played their first gig the following day.

"Unashamedly loud, the duo were given an early boost by Arctic Monkeys’ drummer Matt Helders, who wore one of their t-shirts during the band’s televised headline set at Glastonbury this summer.

"Royal have since been signed to support the Monkeys at their massive, outdoor Finsbury Park shows next year."

It was drawn up by 170 music experts including DJs, critics and producers. The 15 will be whittled down to five in the new year with the winner announced on Friday January 10.

Other contenders include Uzoechi Osisioma Emenik, also known as MNEK, a teenage producer and songwriter from south-east London, and singer Chloe Howl from Maidenhead.

International acts include Chicago hip-hop act Chance the Rapper, Californian singer BANKS and twins Elektra and Miranda Kilbey, who perform as Say Lou Lou.

Nick Grimshaw, who will announce the winner on his show, said: "I can't wait to introduce everybody to the Sound of 2014. Get excited to hear some brand new music on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show."

Radio 1's head of music George Ergatoudis said: "Unless you happen to have a handy Tardis there's no better way to get a glimpse into the future of music than the BBC's Sound Of 2014.

"The annual longlist compiled by BBC News remains the definitive survey of the UK's key musical tastemakers and in the highly-competitive world of popular music a place on the list is highly prized.

"This year's list features a fascinating and diverse range of talented artists, the majority from the UK, and all are definitely worth a listen."