The Cruel Sea - The Gov, Adelaide
25th November 2011
Words: Rob Lyon
Words: Rob Lyon
It's been a long time between drinks for The Cruel Sea and with limited promotion, it was surprising to see a packed
house at The Gov. The queue at the door snaking back through the car park meant many punters were caught off guard, having to catch the support act Cabins from
outside. Once indoors, the atmosphere was buzzing and being a mild
night outside, everyone was up for a brew or few.
Half an hour later than scheduled, Tex, Jim, Dan, Kenny and James emerged from the billowy depths of backstage to a heroes welcome. The band kicked things off with the instrumental Navigate and it wasn’t long before Tex Perkins, with plenty of strut and swagger, hit the stage to rip into It’s All Right (‘Cause She Loves Me). Even at this early point in the show, it was obvious that Tex is right at home fronting a good ol' fashioned rock band.
Continuing the journey in to familiar territory, Anybody But You was warmly received and the first chance for punters to sing along, keeping that party vibe going. It wasn’t long until technical issues reared their ugly head, but it gave Tex a chance to introduce his stage manager and body double, Henry, to the crowd. It didn’t seem overly relevant but filled that awkward pause. No Choice followed with some mid song comments asking “where’s that flute coming from” later giving away his secret, explaining that it was a sample.
The high proportion of female fans continually yelling out ‘I love you Tex’ was humorous for a while but it didn’t seem to faze Tex. He suggested he’d make love with every single one of them, ‘one at a time but right now we’re working, I haven’t done that while doing this… yet!’. The mid paced Daylight was great and the adulation from the female fans wanting to kiss Tex was served with a warning suggesting ‘I’m a better singer than a kisser’. If the sweaty, calamari breathe was not enough, he suggested even his mum wouldn’t kiss him. His mum scored a dedication with Million $ Ho.
The keys of James Cruickshank was impressive leading the way on Takin’ All Day and the infectious groove got people moving. Tex joked about some broad who put her bag and drinks at his feet on the stage and issued another warning saying that ‘I do a bit of dancing here and there and could stomp all over your bag by mistake’.
It was time to rock like a bitch with Delivery Man and the bass lines on this one are great and the crowd were vocal in showing their appreciation. Coming Home provided a bit of a buffer before the band wheeled out the hits featuring the likes of Hard Times, Too Fast For Me and Better Get A Lawyer. The 1993 ARIA award winning song of the year The Honeymoon Is Over was a phenomenal way to finish the set and as Perkins said ‘scum bags like us can get to the top’.
It that wasn’t enough, the first of two encores continued to excite the masses. The mostly instrumental batch of tracks included This Is What It Is, Four and High Plains Drifter. There was still plenty of shots to be fired, with the ever impressive Black Stick and This Is Not The Way Home.
Could the night get any better? Apparently so. The fans remained in place in anticipation that the band would return, and return they did. Plenty of noise got the band back on stage to belt out a rousing rendition of Cocaine, which was epic beyond all proportions and no doubt fuelling the thoughts of some fans about how to continue their night. The band looked dead set knackered having given it everything and more, making the wait since their last tour all the more worth while.
Half an hour later than scheduled, Tex, Jim, Dan, Kenny and James emerged from the billowy depths of backstage to a heroes welcome. The band kicked things off with the instrumental Navigate and it wasn’t long before Tex Perkins, with plenty of strut and swagger, hit the stage to rip into It’s All Right (‘Cause She Loves Me). Even at this early point in the show, it was obvious that Tex is right at home fronting a good ol' fashioned rock band.
Continuing the journey in to familiar territory, Anybody But You was warmly received and the first chance for punters to sing along, keeping that party vibe going. It wasn’t long until technical issues reared their ugly head, but it gave Tex a chance to introduce his stage manager and body double, Henry, to the crowd. It didn’t seem overly relevant but filled that awkward pause. No Choice followed with some mid song comments asking “where’s that flute coming from” later giving away his secret, explaining that it was a sample.
The high proportion of female fans continually yelling out ‘I love you Tex’ was humorous for a while but it didn’t seem to faze Tex. He suggested he’d make love with every single one of them, ‘one at a time but right now we’re working, I haven’t done that while doing this… yet!’. The mid paced Daylight was great and the adulation from the female fans wanting to kiss Tex was served with a warning suggesting ‘I’m a better singer than a kisser’. If the sweaty, calamari breathe was not enough, he suggested even his mum wouldn’t kiss him. His mum scored a dedication with Million $ Ho.
The keys of James Cruickshank was impressive leading the way on Takin’ All Day and the infectious groove got people moving. Tex joked about some broad who put her bag and drinks at his feet on the stage and issued another warning saying that ‘I do a bit of dancing here and there and could stomp all over your bag by mistake’.
It was time to rock like a bitch with Delivery Man and the bass lines on this one are great and the crowd were vocal in showing their appreciation. Coming Home provided a bit of a buffer before the band wheeled out the hits featuring the likes of Hard Times, Too Fast For Me and Better Get A Lawyer. The 1993 ARIA award winning song of the year The Honeymoon Is Over was a phenomenal way to finish the set and as Perkins said ‘scum bags like us can get to the top’.
It that wasn’t enough, the first of two encores continued to excite the masses. The mostly instrumental batch of tracks included This Is What It Is, Four and High Plains Drifter. There was still plenty of shots to be fired, with the ever impressive Black Stick and This Is Not The Way Home.
Could the night get any better? Apparently so. The fans remained in place in anticipation that the band would return, and return they did. Plenty of noise got the band back on stage to belt out a rousing rendition of Cocaine, which was epic beyond all proportions and no doubt fuelling the thoughts of some fans about how to continue their night. The band looked dead set knackered having given it everything and more, making the wait since their last tour all the more worth while.