The chugging blues and swaggering swamp rock of Australian legends Beasts Of Bourbon will be reignited live when the band reconvene for two special shows in August.
2023 marks the band's 40th anniversary and frontman Tex Perkins has donned the nostalgia hat to celebrate with headline gigs scheduled in Sydney and Melbourne with the original line-up sans the legend that is Spencer P. Jones, who passed on to the next dimension in 2018.Perkins will be joined by James Baker (drums), Kim Salmon (guitar) and Boris Sujdovic (bass) and long-time Beast, Charlie Owen (guitar) for what shapes as one of the gigs of the year.
"Forty years ago, I was a skinny eighteen-year-old kid living in Darlinghurst in Sydney having the time of his life – playing gigs, taking and drinking everything within arm’s reach," shares Tex.
"Constantly meeting and bonding with people in other bands who would turn out to be lifelong friends.
"When my band up and left me in the dead of night by the side of the road with a month-long residency, it was those friends that were there to help me pick things up and start again.
"Spencer Jones and Boris Sujdovic were there when we decided to call it the Beasts Of Bourbon.
"James Baker, who would occasionally feed me, soon found his way to his rightful place at the drum kit.
"Kim Salmon, friend and mentor, and singer of my favourite band in the world (The Scientists) completed the early 'classic line-up'.
"At first, we played a few songs of mine and a lot of covers: Alice Cooper, The Stooges, The New York Dolls and Creedence were among the go-to songs we all knew well but never had the chance to play live before. It was a free for all, f... it, let it fly kind of thing!
"A few months later we spent six hours in a studio and recorded our first album 'The Axeman's Jazz'.
"As I said this all happened 40 years ago this year, so we felt obliged to acknowledge and celebrate this marker in time.
"Obviously, our fallen comrade Spencer Jones will not be with us, but long time Beast Charlie Owen will help us chase that feeling one more time.
"We hope y'all can join us for some dirty ol time rock & roll played by sweet-hearted old punks from the swamps of Surry Hills."
Tickets are on sale: Melbourne & Sydney.
Beasts Of Bourbon 2023 Tour Dates
Fri 11 Aug - The Factory Theatre (Sydney)Sun 13 Aug - Croxton Bandroom (Melbourne)
