BEASTS OF BOURBON
Metro Theatre, Sydney
May 19, 2006
Words & Slideshow: RICHARD SHARMAN of BLACKSHADOW PHOTOGRAPHY
Friday night in old Sydney town and a near capacity crowd's at The Metro, keenly anticipating a bit of Australian rock royalty -the mighty Beasts of Bourbon.I arrived in time to catch the last song from The Vandas and grab a couple of coldies before the main event then I hunkered down up the front waiting for the show.
The red curtains parted and there they were; Spencer P Jones on left of stage, Tony Pola behind the drum kit, Tex Perkins up the front, Brian Hooper back on the right near the drums and Charlie Owens on the far right wing. There was a roar form the crowd before the Beasts launched into “Just Right”.
From the outset Charlie, Pola and Hoops were just playing up a storm; Spencer seemed a little out of sorts for a while and appeared to be playing whatever came into his head (not a bad thing) for a while and it took Tex a while to warm to the occasion.
Following the opener it was then into “The Low Road” before the intensity was ratcheted up with “Chase the Dragon” a couple more songs followed and then things went into full roar with “Driver Man”.
The setlist drew across the Beasts’ vast back catalogue; some highlights for me were “Chase the Dragon”, “Saturation”, their reworking of AC/DC’s “Ride On”, “Driver Man”, “Straight Hard and Long” and their set closing “Hard for You”.
The crowd bayed for more and after a short hiatus the Beasts returned and erupted into “Black Milk” before heading into a brutal version of “Drop Out” and the jaw dropping finale “Let Get Funky” that really got The Metro rocking.
Charlie Owens’ guitar work was masterful; it was dirty, sleazy and powerful, Tex’s commanding voice and presence confirms him as one of the great frontmen in rock. The rhythm section of Tony Pola and Brian Hooper was rock solid and pulsating. Combine this with Spencer’s guitar work and it is clear that the Beasts of Bourbon remain one of the best bands to come out of Australia in the last few decades. Catch them when you can – you won’t be disappointed.
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