Proving himself a versatile man, Tex Perkins is always involved in one project or another. And this time, the frontman is trying the cabaret circuit with his band The Dark Horses.
Not considered a cabaret band, Tex has promised to make the show as cabaret as possible. “Seeing as it's a cabaret festival and we're not typically a cabaret band, I guess we have to bring some cabaret trappings. I'd figured we'd wear a lot of makeup,” explains Tex.
This isn't the first time Tex has performed at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. In 2009 Tex performed with his band The Ladyboyz. This time he'll be hitting the stage with Charlie Owen, Joel Silbersher, Murray Paterson, Stephen Hadley and Gus Agars as The Dark Horses. “The first time we played the actual cabaret festival I was with another band, The Ladyboyz, and we were actually an experimental cabaret act. But The Dark Horses is basically the same people but doing basically just music but I wouldn't actually automatically call it cabaret. If anyone is familiar with The Dark Horses, that's pretty much what we'll be bringing.”
Aside from bringing as much cabaret as he can to the show, Tex says there will be a lot of new material to be played. “We were actually in Adelaide just two months ago, so I hope you'll forgive us for coming back so soon, but the difference between that time and this time is that we'll be playing a lot more new material. I guess the last time we were in Adelaide it was a farewell to some of the material we probably won't be playing again for a long time. The show will be based around our new recordings.”
From these new recordings Tex and The Dark Horses have up their sleeves, it's only fitting that they have an album to follow. “We've recorded it. It exists. We just have to wrap it in plastic and get it out the door.” The new album is reminiscent of an early '70s concept album. “[It's] designed to be listened as one piece rather than a collection of songs standing up next to each other.” With this in mind, Tex believes the cabaret show setting might be the perfect environment to show off his new work. “I think that because of the setting it will allow us to revert a show that is a lot more conceptual and dramatic rather than just a band up there playing some songs.
“The bottom line is that with these sorts of places there's a bunch of people who are basically sitting down and paying attention. It's not like a pub or a club where people are moving around and there's pockets of people at the back of the room ignoring your whole proceedings and just getting drunk. I think there's a certain reverence in these environments for whats going on and it really helps the performers to bring something special... It's amazing what you can do when you think that the audience is with you.”
Outside of this, Tex also has his usual variety of projects in the works on the side and expects to only need a single rehearsal with the band in lead up to the show. “We only expect one days rehearsal. Everything seems to happen logically and I do a lot of things and I'm really excited by them. They happen as long as things don't overlap too much. I'm enjoying the complete randomness and diversity of the things that I do.
“I just want to come to Adelaide and leave you breathless. I want to astound Adelaide. We're going to bring something – I better not promise too much actually. I just want to come to Adelaide and leave a line. It'll be great. I'm really looking forward to it.”
