Influential Melbourne rockers Beasts of Bourbon have faced their share of hardship this year, with both guitarist Spencer Jones and bassist Brian Hooper passing away. While the outfit won’t be the same, the remaining members have reinvented themselves under the name The Beasts for a new album.
Following an emotional final performance, the band’s frontman Tex Perkins floated the idea of reconvening the past and present members of Beasts of Bourbon in the recording studio for a bit of fun. Sadly, Hooper passed a week after the performance, though the rest of the band kept the date.
With no particular plan for what would unfold within the studio, Charlie Owen, Boris Sujdovic, Tony Pola, Kim Salmon, Jones and Perkins got to work on an assortment of covers and jams, including Frank Zappa’s ‘The Torture Never Stops’ and Warren Zevon’s ‘My Shit’s Fucked Up’. Jones passed after completing just one recording, ‘At The Hospital’, though the rest of the band pushed on and eventually found themselves with an album worth of tracks.
The resulting album, Still Here, is set for release next year, though the group maintain this is not Beasts of Bourbon, as the band cannot exist without Jones, who was one of just two consistent members of the band, along with Perkins. Instead, the members have dubbed themselves The Beasts for the forthcoming album and subsequent tour, both of which can be expected in February next year.
Check out The Beasts’ tour dates below:
Thursday February 21, Theatre Royal, Castlemaine
Friday February 22, Prince Bandroom, St Kilda
Saturday February 23, Croxton Bandroom, Northcote
Friday March 1, The Northern, Byron Bay
Saturday March 2, The Triffid, Brisbane
Thursday March 7, ANU. Canberra
Friday March 8, Metro Theatre, Sydney
Saturday March 9, Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Thursday March 14, Rock Rover, Fremantle
Friday March 15, Rosemount Hotel, Perth
Saturday March 16, Rosemount Hotel, Perth
Sunday March 17, The Gov, Adelaide
