Review: The Beasts @ Northcote Theatre, Melbourne
The Beasts. Image: Stu Spence.
Review: The Beasts at Northcote Theatre, Melbourne, 20th April, 2024.
The press release said it best; “Let’s all get together while we still can”. That’s the underlying sentiment behind The Beasts’ appearance at Melbourne’s Northcote Theatre on Saturday, April 20th. After all, the last six years or so have seen the group dealing with mortality far more often than most would like to.
By now, the story of the Beasts Of Bourbon is legendary. They might have presented themselves as a blues-rock outfit upon their 1983 debut, but supergroup is the oft-avoided and most-succinct way of describing them. With Tex Perkins on vocals, and featuring the likes of Hoodoo Gurus' James Baker, The Johnnys' Spencer P. Jones, and The Scientists’ Kim Salmon and Boris Sudjovic, talent was in full force. Over the years, the lineup would ebb and flow, with the likes of Brian Henry Hooper, Tony Pola, and Charlie Owen all joining the group for lengthy stretches.
Likewise, their existence fluctuated too, and despite stretches in which they would be deemed inactive, they often found their way back to the stages on which they cut their teeth. Sadly, age and health began to catch up, and in 2018, the Beasts Of Bourbon would split for the final time after both Jones and Hooper passed away. Pola, too, would pass in 2021, by which time a reformed version of the group – dubbed The Beasts – had toured and recorded new music.
Following a pair of shows last year, January saw The Beasts announce a national tour for 2024, though it too was beset by the overarching theme of mortality. This time, it was noted that Baker was suffering from a terminal cancer diagnosis, though music had become a way to cope. “It’s really fucking good for him!” the band said in a press release.
Urging fans to “get together while we still can”, the lineup of Perkins, Baker, Owens, Sudjovic, and Salmon hit the road in April, wrapping up proceedings at Melbourne’s Northcote Theatre with a momentus performance that fans won’t soon forget.
Kicking off proceedings for the evening was the inimitable J.P. Shilo. Anyone with even a passing interest in the Aussie music scene would know they’re in safe hands when Shilo is on the bill. After all, he’s been a staple of local music for decades now, being found in the likes of Hungry Ghosts and The Blackeyed Susans, and having worked with iconic names like Rowland S. Howard, Adalita, Mick Harvey, and Brian Henry Hooper.
Needless to say, though he’s often an unsung hero of the Australian music scene, those on the know are aware you can bank on Shilo to always deliver. And deliver he did, ripping into things with the intensity and power that one could only expect from a gig like this.
Performing as part of a simple guitar/vocals, bass, and drums three-piece (with the latter shifting positions at times), the set was composed entirely of tracks from his 2019 record, Invisible You. Pairing power with atmospheric, melodic cuts that showcased the trio’s musical dexterity, it was hard not to feel the emotion a set like this inspired, with the likes of ‘Invisible You’ being dedicated to the late Hooper. Meanwhile, Kim Salmon also jumped on stage for a rendition of ‘Mechanical Man’ and the blissfully-dissonant closer ‘When The Water Tastes Like Wine’, providing a sneak peek of what was to come.
Between the percussive use of guitar, the dryly-humorous banter, and the inimitable quality of the songs themselves, it goes without saying you’d have been hard-pressed to nail down a better opener for a show such as this. Heck, I’d even go so far as to wager that Shilo was only opening because The Beasts would’ve been too unwieldy had he hopped onboard as a member. (That, and the fact he’d not played in the band previously, but we’re really just splitting hairs now.)
As the room filled with a bustling crowd of all ages, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a night we’d soon forget. As the lights dimmed and The Beasts took the stage, the ever-charismatic Tex Perkins showed us we weren’t here to wallow in sadness. “Not here for the sentimental shit, you’re here for the fun shit,” he snarled amidst performances of ‘The Low Road’ and ‘I Don't Care About Nothing Anymore’.
Those who witnessed the Beasts Of Bourbon in their prime would undoubtedly be aware of the animalistic stage presence the group have, with ferocious songs being backed up by blistering performances at a non-stop pace. Sure, age may show on some faces, but even the ever-resilient Brian Baker made it clear that energy wasn’t lacking in any way.
Ripping through a back-catalogue of classic tracks and covers (“We are technically a tribute band to the Beasts Of Bourbon,” quipped Tex. “It’s a groundbreaking concept.”), The Beasts ensured everyone that the night was one of power and ferocity. Of course, it wasn’t that easy to ignore the overwhelming sense of loss that permeated the band. While songs written by Spencer P. Jones and Tony Pola were played with mind paid to their authors, a rendition of AC/DC’s ‘Ride On’ was dedicated to Brian Henry Hooper, who had passed away exactly six years earlier.
Alongside a trilogy of train songs (suggested to be changed to “tram songs”, as per Tex’s razor-sharp wit), fans were treated to exceptional cuts like ‘Hard For You’, ‘Execution Day’, and their cover of Eddie Noack and Leon Payne’s ‘Psycho’. Some (vocal) fans found the absence of tracks like ‘Chase The Dragon’ to be questionable, but as the night tended to its end with extended solos and outs, the loose, impromptu, and professionally-shambolic nature of the night made itself clear, with all the members seeming like they were just trying to extend their good times together.
Following a raucous version of ‘Ten Wheels For Jesus’, Baker was brought to the front to rapturous applause, and The Beasts bade us farewell, leaving all and sundry to wonder what the future could hold. By now, we know that resilience is their trademark, and they’re not exactly fans of the “sentimental shit”. These shows were billed as the final ones to feature this lineup, but given the level at which The Beasts are performing, it’s clear that no one – band or fan – is ready to say goodbye just yet.
