The Beasts
Metro Theatre
Sydney, Australia
December 6, 2019
Over the span of his illustrious career, there have been many incarnations of Tex Perkins and he has proved times over again that there are many nuances to him channelling his alchemy, with substance over style having always been the common denominator.
However, The Beasts (of Bourbon) have always been special to me ever since I witnessed them the first time in 2007,
After an emotional final performance and the untimely passing of founding member Brian Hooper that effectively put the Beasts of Bourbon as we knew it to rest, Tex assembled past and present comrades to record a new record, which eventually resulted in The Beasts continuing their legacy in a live environment.
If you are remotely into alternative music and are not familiar with the Beasts’ back catalogue, it is unpardonable and needs to be rectified immediately – if you are and harbour a modicum of appreciation for Australian rock and roll yet have not had the pleasure of encountering them in the third dimension, you might be able to imagine the melange of raw fury and passionate musical prowess that a The Beasts show constitutes.
Experiencing Kim Salmon and Charlie Owens joining forces and flanking the towering showman Tex Perkins is a thing of beauty – a blistering, rusty mean, menacing rock and blues machine that bulldozes everything in its path yet despite its rawness, does not lack beautiful, sublime and subtle nuances.
Needless to say that Tex Perkins’ effortless banter, mockery, charisma and idiosyncratic showmanship adds a dimension to the show, which makes each performance an event that has yet to disappoint.
Dirty, ferocious and still wonderfully psychotic, it was a pleasure to be pummelled by them yet another time - long live The Beasts!
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photo by T
