Tex Perkins and Matt Walker

THE Cruel Sea frontman Tex Perkins and band mate Matt Walker are bringing an intimate show with a pared-back selection to the Byron Theatre on April 11.

“We haven’t played in Byron for a while,” Perkins said in a chat with this masthead from his bat cave and sanctuary in the Northern Rivers.

“I’ve done the duo thing for a long time with various people, and Matt is the perfect person.”

With two albums under their offshoot, Tex Perkins and The Fat Rubber Band, the pair will also draw from the gold in Perkins’ vast back catalogue including Beasts of Bourbon and The Dark Horses.

A respected singer/songwriter of 30 years, Walker also plays with The Cruel Sea, coming on board in 2023 in place of keyboardist and guitarist James Cruikshank, who died in 2015.

“Byron Theatre is a pin-drop room; the acoustics are beautiful, and I love how it’s set out. It’s perfect for Matt and me,” Perkins said.

“Vocally, it’s similar to how James and I used to sing. We had different voices, but we were very compatible.

“It’s the same with Matt. He adds this next-level, lovely richness to the whole thing.

“He is very adept at putting the right amount of melody, intricacy and delicacy in his playing.”

The pair is also on the cusp of a national tour with The Cruel Sea touring a new album.

Formed in the late 1980s as an instrumental trio led by Dan Rumour, it went from Sydney pub cult status to national rock stardom with the addition of Perkins.

The band wavered in the early 2000s after a heady trajectory interwoven with personal loss, drug addiction and a new wave of Australian rock.

After a few reunion shows, the curtain rose for the final time, cemented by Cruickshank’s passing dealing a grievous blow.

The 30th anniversary of the seminal album The Honeymoon is Over in 2023 precipitated another reunion tour with Universal reissuing the album on vinyl.

“It was obvious in that first rehearsal that the spark was still there,” Perkins said.

“Even before we started, Danny handed me a CD. I think his motivation for doing old stuff was the opportunity to create new stuff.

“I didn’t listen to it for a while, but when I finally did, I started writing, and it just flowed.”

The result was the band’s first studio album in 23 years, Straight into the Sun, charting at #1 for two weeks at time of writing.

“Entering the marketplace was the last consideration, but we couldn’t just sit on it,” he said.

“That’s part of the equation, letting other people hear it.

“I’ve created a lot of music that no one will ever hear. I create it for my own therapy, but I’m pretty amazed at the album’s response.”

For a rare chance to see Perkins and Walker, stripped back in duo mode, head to byroncentre.com.au/theatre-events/tex-perkins-and-matt-walker