Tex Perkins & Matt Walker preview new album with "It Always Can Get Worse"

"It Always Can Get Worse" is off Tex Perkins & Matt Walker's  forthcoming Before The Show album due in August. 

Here's the scoop...

‘It Always Can Get Worse’ is the first taste of Tex Perkins and Matt Walker’s forthcoming debut album, Before The Show. 

Released on Friday, May 22, the acoustic track reflects on pushing through the hard times without getting stuck in your own pain, reminding us to be grateful - as others have been through, and got through, worse. 

The song unfolds in a way that can catch you off guard - something that carries across the whole album.

Before The Show encapsulates the nexus of these two celebrated Australian artists. Perkins and Walker’s working partnership - which includes recorded work with The Fat Rubber Band and The Cruel Sea -  has led them to this album which shines a light on their unique collaboration.  

"It Always Can Get Worse" is available now on Bandcamp (get the digital version here) and most streaming platforms. 

The album, Before The Show, will be out in August via Cheersquad Records & Tapes.

Beasts of Bourbon toast 35 years of The Low Road with expanded 2LP reissue!

The boffo new 2LP edition of The Low Road comes with a bonus album of rippin' Beasts live recordings circa 1991 & '92.

Here's the scoop...

Late in 1991, Beasts Of Bourbon unleashed their fourth album ‘The Low Road’.

Armed with a rejuvenated rhythm section relative to its predecessor (1990’s Black Milk) with Tony Pola and Brian Hooper on drums and bass guitar respectively, with this new lineup, the Australian rock supergroup enlisted producer Tony Cohen, an engineer best known for his exceptional production work with Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and the Birthday Party – at Metropolis Studios (Melbourne) in April 1991. 

Among the album’s nefarious delights were the blistering Chase the Dragon’ (about heroin smuggling), a cover of AC/DC’s slow and insinuating `Ride On’ and the Hendrix-flavoured ‘Just Right’.

The album was supported by a tour with the inaugural Big Day Out alongside Nirvana and Violent Femmes alongside European dates where the band had earned a loyal fanbase. 

Ian McFarlane in The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock & Pop described the album as ‘brimming with urgency, surrealism, atmosphere, myth, illusion and honesty, but above all, hard-nosed rock riffs’.

Now in 2026 to mark the 35th anniversary of the album, we’re proud to present the album in expanded form on vinyl 2LP 180-gram black vinyl. 

The original 10-track album makes up the first LP, with the second LP consisting of seven live tracks recorded at the infamous Phoenician Club, Sydney through 1991 and 1992 alongside an epic live rendering of the Stones ‘Cocksucker Blues’ recorded at Theatre Fabrik, Munich in 1992.

The package is all housed in a beautiful gatefold sleeve with photography from Red Eye Records founder John Foy, Bleddyn Butcher and Mr Speedieflex.

The Beasts of Bourbon - Low Road - Available March 27th. Check out Tex Perkins site for more info Watch a few video clips from the album along with some footage of the Beasts tearing up the Phoenician Club back in 1991 and 1992. 

Happy Birthday Kim Salmon!

Celebrating the Kim Salmon's birthday some performances. interviews and a Smoked Salmon video you may have missed.

That time I ran into Kim Salmon in Memphis

Way back in the 90s, I was surprised to encounter Kim leaning against the bar in an empty Memphis club on a week night Not only was it early in the evening, about 7 pm, but when I asked someone who worked at the venue if there were any bands scheduled for later they shrugged, "I dunno... it's lesbian night." I had no idea whether Kim was in town to record some music or play a show. Who knows, maybe he was just checking out the joint's set-up for a possible gig on the next tour? In any case, odd as it was to see him standing there alone nursing a brew, I was confident it was actually Kim Salmon. There was no mistaking the pink suit and yellow-tinted aviator shades. So I walked over and said, "Hey Kim, what are you doing in Memphis?" After fighting back a reflexive spit-take, he gasped with a perplexed look, "How on earth did you know it was me?" "Hey," I chuckled, "there's only one Kim Salmon!" He conceded with a laugh, "I guess you're right." 
 

Midweek Mixdown: Country, My Way with The Vinyl Avenger

Fans of the Gibson Bros, Country Teasers, Beasts Of Bourbon and/or DM Bob will enjoy this Olaf Jens mix. 

Listen to the Vinyl Avenger's latest mix "Country, My Way" via Mixcloud right here.

R.I.P. drummer James Baker of The Victims, The Scientists & Beasts Of Bourbon

Sadly, hard hitting Australian drummer and lyricist James Baker has passed away at 71. He'll be greatly missed. 

R.I.P. Spencer P. Jones, 1956-2018

Sadly, guitar great Spencer P. Jones, longtime Beasts of Bourbon member, has lost his battle with cancer.