Tex Perkins has walked up a hill for this call. "Gets better reception up here," he chuckles, and just like that we're off – two shooters hitting tin cans, no false starts.
"There weren't many Tex's around when I started. I've lost count of the amount of people who've told me they've named their kids after me. Oh – and many pets. I had a manager whose Bullmastiff was called Tex. Brick-headed dog, would eat through walls. He'd yell 'Tex!' and I'd turn my head every time."
This time, he's calling us about more than just namesakes. The Beasts – formerly Beasts of Bourbon – return to Melbourne for a one-night-only show. A concert less about anniversaries and more about remembrance.
Yes, it's been 35 years since the release of their third album 'Black Milk', but the heart of this reunion is honour. Tex and the band take the stage for what could be one of the last times to honour their fallen bandmates as well as marking the 35th anniversary of the album release.
"It's probably going to be the last Beasts event," he says flatly. "This is built around the album sure, but really, it's about the chance to honour our fallen comrades. For me, it's a chance to share and honour this with the fans."
Back in 1990, Tex found himself at a turning point – fatherhood, responsibility, and for the first time, a realisation: "Oh sh.t, I've got a music career."
The band had returned from scattered paths – some overseas, some in other iconic groups like The Scientists and The Johnnys – and 'Black Milk' came out swinging. Eclectic, raw, even deliberately confusing.
The album defied genre: a voodoo invocation one minute, soft jazz and country the next. "We wanted to shake up the 'bluesy-boozy' thing we'd been labelled with. We muddied the waters, on purpose."
However, that line-up didn't stay put. "As soon as we recorded that album, James [Baker] and Boris [Sujdovic] had to go off and do their stuff in Europe. We brought on Tony [Pola, died 2021] and Brian [Hooper, died 2018].
"As soon as they joined the band, we realised we'd become a different band. A very muscular rock & roll band. We never got to explore the light and shade of that album – we were a different band."
It's not nostalgia. Tex is clear about that. "Over the last few years, any activity that involved the Beasts – well, the Beasts of Bourbon doesn't exist anymore as far as I'm concerned. It was a band I formed with Spencer Jones. After he passed, we rebranded."
After the death of Spencer in 2018, Tex declared the Beasts of Bourbon name retired. Yet, The Beasts emerged with one more album, 'Still Here', capturing Spencer in the studio for a final time. Then came Brian's passing. Now, James Baker [drummer], who died from liver cancer in May.
"This one's for James. For all of them. We've spent a lot of energy over the years honouring the members who've gone," Tex says, "and Evan [Richards, stage tech] has the sticks now. He's got the blessing."
This final send-off at Melbourne's Forum won't be alone. The line-up includes a string of acts there to celebrate alongside The Beasts. Friends, fans, old flames and new ears – one night only, and maybe the last time to howl with the pack.
"This one's for James. It's really a send-off to him and our fallen bandmates. Time is running out for all of us. I know I'm a lot closer to the end than I am the beginning."
To that I say, raise a glass. To 'Black Milk'. To brotherhood. To a band that never played it safe, and to Tex, a frontman who'll go up a hill to hear you clear. The Beasts return – for good measure, and for goodbye and good bourbon.
The Beasts present the 35th anniversary of The Beasts Of Bourbon album 'Black Milk; at Forum Melbourne on 12 September. They'll be joined by Cash Savage, The Johnnys and Ezra Lee.
Read our review of The Beasts' 2023 Sydney concert.
