The prowling blistering Beasts of Bourbon ruled supreme in the eighties – a sort of supergroup of legends that seemed steeped in swampy indulgence and bacchanalia in the vibrant music scene in the inner city of Sydney. This was an almost mythical time when virtually everyday of the week you could catch bands like The Scientists, The Triffids, The Go-Betweens and of course The Beasts plying their trade at venues like the Hopetoun, Trade Union Club and the Annandale Hotel. The epicentre was Surry Hills, the reverberations worldwide.
The Beasts are the surviving members – James Baker, Tex Perkins, Kim Salmon, Boris Sujdovic and Charlie Owen, who reformed back in 2023 to celebrate 40 years of the original band, and have been unable to be caged ever since.
They released their album ‘Ultimo’ at the end of 2024, with an additional live album, and this coming weekend sees the behemoth launch the album with shows in Sydney and Melbourne.
To set the scene, a video for the track ‘Shoot Me’ has just been unleashed: an excoriating buzzsaw of a track that prowls like a demented demon with a sweet melody lurking somewhere in the sonic undergrowth:
You can catch the band at the following gigs:
Friday, 21 February – The Corner Hotel, supported by Fancy Weapon – Tickets here.
Fancy Weapon is a rock band made up of Claire Birchall, Guy Maddison, Joel Silbersher and Mick Turner. These are musicians you may know from Dirty Three, Smoked Salmon, Mudhoney, GOD, Sick Things, Paper Planes, Hoss, Lubricated Goat, Tendrils, Venom P Stinger.
Saturday, 22 February – The Manning Bar, supported by Chimers – Tickets here.
Chimers combine their love of noise pop, post-punk and garage rock. A Dynamic sound of discordant guitar, off-beat drum lines and brash melodic vocals. Think equal parts mission of Burma, Wipers and all things Discord Records as direct influences. The band has picked up fans in Henry Rollins, Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto and Matador and 12xu Records’, Gerard Cosloy. Their sophomore album ‘Through Today’ is available now.
You can get ‘Ultimo’ through the link below:
Feature Photograph: Kristyna
