Celebrated Sydney garage-rock band Royal Headache have made a surprising move by announcing a live album, Live in America, set for release in June.
This marks their first project since their disbandment in 2017 and will be released through What’s Your Rupture. However, fans should temper their hopes, as there are no signs of a full band reunion on the horizon yet.
Live in America captures Royal Headache’s raw energy and formidable live presence, featuring recordings from their tours across the US. The A-side of the album includes tracks recorded at New Jersey’s WMFU community radio during their first US tour in 2012, while the B-side features a live session from Chicago venue The Empty Bottle, recorded in 2015 while on tour promoting their second and final album, High.
The album is not just a mere nostalgic trip down memory lane, however, as What’s Your Rupture’s description attests to: “They [Royal Headache] were on fire, [and] smoked the sold-out room sideways and back. This set grabs you by the collar, taking everything society had thrown at or accoladed them with and distilling it into piercingly melodic, throttling rock ‘n’ roll.”
The upcoming album also offers something new with the inclusion of two previously unreleased tracks: “So Low”, a track frequently played but never featured on their studio albums, and a cover of Womack & Womack’s 1988 classic “Teardrops”, a live favourite that never saw an official release.
Since Royal Headache’s split, lead vocalist Tim “Shogun” Wall has kept busy with various music projects. Initially, he was part of the soul-rock ensemble Shogun & The Sheets, which released a 7-inch single in 2018 but disbanded in 2022. Wall has since moved on to new ventures, including Finnoguns Wake, which launched their debut EP Stay Young in January 2024, and Antenna, who released a self-titled EP in March.
Royal Headache’s Live in America is out June 21st (pre-order here).
