Live Review: The Beasts, The Painkillers

Led from the back by former Beast Of Bourbon James Baker, The Painkillers chugged along like a vintage train, steadily gathering steam and momentum through a risk-free set of rock'n’roll. Their unwavering pace never threatened to boil over though, and it must be said that the rest of the band could’ve shared some of guitarist Joe Bludge's spontaneity and enthusiasm.

Out of respect for former band members Spencer P Jones and Brian Hooper, who last year both departed to the great gig in the sky, Beasts Of Bourbon have shortened their name to The Beasts. A number of songs were dedicated to Jones and Hooper, as well as to past luminaries such as Warren Zevon, whose My Shit’s Fucked Up was given a rock'n’roll flogging. The nostalgia softened a little of the intensity, understandably so in the circumstances. 

There were sound issues at the start, with a nonplussed Tex Perkins asking the mixing desk to raise the volume of the monitors “by about a thousand”. Confused looks were traded between band members as they grappled with opener On My Back, but once they found their rhythm, there was no mistaking their intent. Kim Salmon was in extraordinary form, with laser-precise riffs and focused solos that wailed and cut through the wall of noise; the man was on fire. Chase The Dragon was a burning highlight with its stomping drums, while Drop Out had the front row screaming out the chorus.

With an undiminished capacity to surprise, Perkins embodied the story of At The Hospital with interpretive dancing that was both resourceful and unexpectedly expressive. As the set finished the band warmly embraced each other, wrapping up a feelgood affair for everyone on and off stage.