One of the most influential alternative rock bands of the 1980s and 1990s have announced their return to the stage. Royal Trux will play at the Berserktown II festival this summer. It’s the first time the group has done anything since their breakup in 2001, save for a few reissues of their albums in 2009.
The band was founded by Neil Hagerty and Jennifer Herrema in 1987. Their first self-titled album was released on the cusp of the 1990s grunge explosion, when alternative music hit mainstream audiences. In fact, the duo didn’t see mainstream success until 1991, after Nirvana’s Nevermind garnered interest by major labels for alternative, underground music.
They signed to Virgin Records in the early 90s, and had a string of albums throughout the early part of the decade, including Untitled, Cats and Dogs and Sweet Sixteen. The band had a built-in following from the start, as Neil Hagerty was a one-time member of Pussy Galore. He pursued his own project with his girlfriend at the time, Jennifer Herrema, and the two became Royal Trux.
The duo only briefly stayed on a major label before returning to their original label Drag City shortly after the release of Sweet Sixteen in 1997. They went on to release four more albums.
Although they saw success among their loyal fans, the band split in 2001, allegedly due to drug abuse among band members. Herrema went on to perform in Black Bananas and RTX, while Hagerty became a member of Howling Hex.
When asked in the past whether a reunion was in the works, the duo denied it. Now it seems like they have changed their tune, and are set to perform their first gig together in more than ten years.
Watch Royal Trux perform their reunion show on the last night of Berserktown on August 16. They will perform on the same bill with other greats such as Screaming Females, Thee Oh Sees and Dead Moon.
The festival also features Herrema’s new band Black Bananas, so she’ll perform twice at the same festival.
Their record label Drag City released a statement about the reunion, saying that this gig is the only one the duo has planned at the moment.
The label clarified:
“Beyond that? Man, the future is UNKNOWABLE – but there’s a few things that we’ve never minded envisioning. And they’re always Royal Trux.”
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