TEX PERKINS - THE MAN IN BLACK

TEX PERKINS

THE MAN IN BLACK

Country Club

Launceston

14^th June 2018

Review by Allison O'Donoghue

The last time I was kicked out of a gig was Bruce Springsteen 1993, Sydney Entertainment Centre, for lighting up my lighter on the first few bars of I’m On Fire. As they escorted me out, the whole auditorium was alight, regardless of my protests, I still had to wait out my favourite song!

How do you get kicked out of a Tex Perkins gig? Well, I did. More on that later. We’re all familiar with Tex Perkins, he’s been around for a while, ever evolving. I’ve been following Tex since his Beasts of Bourbon days in Sydney, around the time he began to cultivate a persona to become one of the country’s rock n’ roll bad boys, and dare I say, sex-symbols. I haven’t seen him since his Tex, Don & Charlie days, so it’s been awhile. Out of respect for Johnny Cash, I donned my cowboy boots, my leather jacket and headed to the Country Club in Launceston for a night of Johnny Cash classics.

After fronting The Cruel Sea, and touring with The Dark Horses, Perkins decided to try his hand at honoring his idle Johnny Cash in his adaptation of The Man in Black which toured NZ and Australia to great success from 2011 to 2014. So he’s back again with the Tennessee Four to give us another run at it. His timing couldn’t be better, as the Dark Mofo festival opens in Hobart, thousands of mainlanders have hit Tasmania to soak up a bit of culture. The Island is pumping.

Johnny Cash

Folsom Prison

I wasn’t expecting a spoken word history lesson, so it was surprising when backup vocalist, Rachael Tidd, who plays Cash’s wife June Carter Cash, sat down on a stall and began chronicling the life and times of JC - starting from his rise to fame in 1954, to his string of Top 10 hits, including his #1 Billboard smash hit, I Walk The Line which sat on the charts for 43 weeks.


Perkins affinity with Johnny Cash is obvious, and he’s well suited to play him. His baritone vocals carry off the lower registers of Cash’s rustic voice pulling off classics like, I walked the Line with aplomb. Ring of Fire, Folsom Prison Blues and Don’t Take Your Guns to Town followed in quick succession. The Tennessee Four are a well-oiled machine consisting of, Shannon Bourne, guitar, Shane Reilly, guitar, Steve Hadley on Upright bass, and Dave Folley on drums giving us nearly two hours of tunes interwoven with the story of Cash’s rise to stardom, fight for survival and his eventual redemption. They performed faithful renditions of all Cash's songs but those from Folsom and San Quentin prisons, were the highlight.

Tennessee Four, Rachael Tidd & Tex Perkins.

I loved Rachael’s minimalist movements on stage. Her tiny movements accentuated the bling she was wearing when hit by the lights, blinding the audience with tiny bling explosions. Hard to describe. Tidd’s harmonies seamlessly match Tex on every song. A boy Named Sue was warmly greeted by the audience as was my favourite, Jackson - one of the best Carter/Cash duets.

Pic by Alison Best.

Pic by Alison Best

Pic by Alison Best

Why was I kicked out? Well, throughout the night I took a few shots from my iPhone, as you do, but I had to use the flash, which wasn’t appreciated by people close to me. No sooner had I taken the shots, someone was telling me off and warning I’d be kicked out if I did it again, so I behaved myself - until the encore. I couldn’t help myself, it was the end of the night, so I took a couple more for my blog. That’s when I was pounced on, and told to leave. Luckily, I only missed one song. Tex and Bruce, in good company!


Johnny Cash was eventually inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. He died in 2003, 14 weeks after June Carter Cash's death. He couldn't live without her. Cash went on to sell 50 million records and became one of the most influential country music artists in modern history. Next time Tex, the Tennessee Four, and Rachael Tidd hit the road for The Man in Black, check them out. But please, no photos! 

Beasts of Bourbon. Metro, Sydney. 1997.

BIG DAY OUT. Beasts of Bourbon. 1993.