Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Royal Headache and festivals for fuel

Aussie indie act storms our shores on the way to Pitchfork

They come from the land down unda: Aussie indie act Royal Headache finds relief from U.S. travel-cost migraines on the festival circuit.
They come from the land down unda: Aussie indie act Royal Headache finds relief from U.S. travel-cost migraines on the festival circuit.

Though they come from “the land down unda,” Australia’s Royal Headache has been growing a loyal following in the states. That’s not bad for a quartet two LPs into the game. The group is about to storm our shores again for a handful of dates coinciding with their appearance at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago. The festivals are what land the group stateside these days.

Video:

"Carolina"

...off of Royal Headache's new record, <em>High</em>

...off of Royal Headache's new record, High

“Going to the other side of the world is hard for us as a band,” Headache bassist Joe explained via email. “First, it costs a lot just to get to the U.S., and we work full-time jobs at home, so we get limited leave. Pretty much every tour we do overseas is based around a big festival putting up enough money for us to break even.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

The roots of the Royal Headaches sound is hinted at in the singular names of the band members — Joe, Shorty, Law, Shogun — a simple, punk-sounding lineup with roots in that Sydney scene. Joe cites classic Aussie punk acts such as the Saints, X (Aussie edition), Tactics, the Apartments, and the Go-Betweens as older influences, and a newer act, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, as being “the most influential in us believing we could play music.”

Don’t think these guys are just another punk band, though, their latest album, High, finds the group mixing raw punk energy with satisfying mid-tempo numbers like the anthemic, radio-friendly “Carolina.” The collection is akin to the Clash or the Replacements a couple years into their runs — the gas pedal might not always be pinned to the floor, but the group is branching out musically with youthful energy intact. And speaking of energy, Joe mentioned that they never make a setlist, relishing the opportunity to “pull out some barely rehearsed thing and watch the gleeful faces sour in disgust.”

Past Event

Royal Headache

  • Saturday, July 9, 2016, 8 p.m.
  • Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Boulevard, San Diego
  • 21+

But even though the group is doing well, the members can’t quit their day-jobs. Hailing from a tourist-haven like Sydney, the band is trapped in the same quagmire that many San Diego artists find themselves in — playing in a band doesn’t pay the rent.

“The cost of living can be extortionate, so everyone works really long hours to pay too much money to live in shitholes,” Joe said. “So you kind of end up with a bunch of exhausted people looking to release somehow, which generally makes for more interesting art.”

Sound familiar, San Diego?

Royal Headache plays the Soda Bar on Saturday, July 9.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Temperature inversions bring smoggy weather, "ankle biters" still biting

Near-new moon will lead to a dark Halloween
They come from the land down unda: Aussie indie act Royal Headache finds relief from U.S. travel-cost migraines on the festival circuit.
They come from the land down unda: Aussie indie act Royal Headache finds relief from U.S. travel-cost migraines on the festival circuit.

Though they come from “the land down unda,” Australia’s Royal Headache has been growing a loyal following in the states. That’s not bad for a quartet two LPs into the game. The group is about to storm our shores again for a handful of dates coinciding with their appearance at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago. The festivals are what land the group stateside these days.

Video:

"Carolina"

...off of Royal Headache's new record, <em>High</em>

...off of Royal Headache's new record, High

“Going to the other side of the world is hard for us as a band,” Headache bassist Joe explained via email. “First, it costs a lot just to get to the U.S., and we work full-time jobs at home, so we get limited leave. Pretty much every tour we do overseas is based around a big festival putting up enough money for us to break even.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

The roots of the Royal Headaches sound is hinted at in the singular names of the band members — Joe, Shorty, Law, Shogun — a simple, punk-sounding lineup with roots in that Sydney scene. Joe cites classic Aussie punk acts such as the Saints, X (Aussie edition), Tactics, the Apartments, and the Go-Betweens as older influences, and a newer act, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, as being “the most influential in us believing we could play music.”

Don’t think these guys are just another punk band, though, their latest album, High, finds the group mixing raw punk energy with satisfying mid-tempo numbers like the anthemic, radio-friendly “Carolina.” The collection is akin to the Clash or the Replacements a couple years into their runs — the gas pedal might not always be pinned to the floor, but the group is branching out musically with youthful energy intact. And speaking of energy, Joe mentioned that they never make a setlist, relishing the opportunity to “pull out some barely rehearsed thing and watch the gleeful faces sour in disgust.”

Past Event

Royal Headache

  • Saturday, July 9, 2016, 8 p.m.
  • Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Boulevard, San Diego
  • 21+

But even though the group is doing well, the members can’t quit their day-jobs. Hailing from a tourist-haven like Sydney, the band is trapped in the same quagmire that many San Diego artists find themselves in — playing in a band doesn’t pay the rent.

“The cost of living can be extortionate, so everyone works really long hours to pay too much money to live in shitholes,” Joe said. “So you kind of end up with a bunch of exhausted people looking to release somehow, which generally makes for more interesting art.”

Sound familiar, San Diego?

Royal Headache plays the Soda Bar on Saturday, July 9.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The danger of San Diego's hoarders

The $1 million Flash Comics #1
Next Article

Tijuana sewage infects air in South Bay

By September, Imperial Beach’s beach closure broke 1000 consecutive days
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader