by The Beasts
It was 1983 when the Beasts of Bourbon smashed their raw and raucous guitars against a Sydney recording studio to create Axeman's Jazz. And every furry memory since belongs in a rock memoir yet to be written, but screaming to be told.
The unapologetic band would become the epitome of Aussie rock hedonism, and 36 years on and two funerals later, new album Still Here continues the grunt, warts and all.
The concept was simple - get the band back together and see what happens. So Charlie Owen, Boris Sujdovic, Tony Pola, Spencer Jones, Kim Salmon and Tex Perkins met at Soundpark Studio armed only with a few loose concepts and covers to see what would be.
The highs are still high. Tex Perkins does what he does best on first single 'On My Back', recreating the the late-night fire and fury. 'Pearls Before Swine', 'My Shit’s Fucked Up' and 'Drunk On A Train' maintain the grind.
But the reflective album is not without pause - evident in it’s unironic title. Rockers don’t tend to overstay their welcome, and two of the original Beasties left last year before their time. Spencer Jones lives on with in his song 'At the Hospital', as does Brian Henry Hooper with his 'What the Hell Was I Thinking'.
And while the bourbon probably doesn’t flow as thick as it did in those heady days, the fire is still burning, the desire still clearly there.
"I’d like to create more music," Tex told The Age. "I don’t think I’m the only one … there seems to be an atmosphere of just enjoying each others company and just holding onto every moment because we all know this passes. I think that’s the overriding feeling for me, whenever I’m with Kim or Boris or anybody in the band … holding on, for obvious reasons."
by Richard Mcleish
The Beasts play the Theatre Royal in Castlemaine on February 21, the Prince Bandroom in St Kilda on February 22, and the Croxton Bandroom in Thornbury on February 23. For tickets visit premierartists.com.au.
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Budos Band - 'Old Engine Oil'
Ex Hex - 'Cosmic Cave'
Traffik Island - 'Free 2 Be Free'
Sleeper and Snake - 'Sugar and Gold'
William Tyler - 'Our Lady of the Desert'
This week's Top 10:
