After the ugly brouhaha surrounding their set at the Sydney Opera House for RIP Society's VIVID Festival gig a month ago, you might thing Sydney band Royal Headache might make a name for themselves in the general musical atmosphere. But this is a band as comfortable belting out songs in the middle of a boxing ring or dilapidated squat, seemingly always on the verge of apathetic implosion, never to truly follow up on their excellent eponymous debut LP from 2011 because why bother, right? But the truth is much simpler than the myth that sometimes eclipses the four-piece. Royal Headache isn't about "making it", sure; but they aren't nihilistic self-loathers or scatterbrained layabouts either (and I love both parties). No, these guys love their Rock and Roll with capitals firmly intact; their ramshackle demeanour belies a deep-rooted love of melody and riffs, simple notions and themes that span eternity in their universal appeal and attention. They are no frills, unadulterated vintage rick enthusiasts that play as they are - no pretension, no bullshit, just passion and belief in the rightness of playing rock music loud and on-the-ripped-sleeve. So it's no surprise that new single 'High' (the title track of their incoming second album) is so bloody fun, a throwback in modern terms - well, it's Royal Headache.
High comes out in August through the band's own Distant and Vague label in Australia (through What's Your Rupture? elsewhere). Pre-order it now. Royal Headache tour the US soon with new upstarts Sheer Mag, and are planning UK dates soon.
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