The Cruel Sea @ Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide 1/5/2025
The Cruel Sea returned to Adelaide in red hot form supporting the release of their seventh album Straight Into The Sun. There definitely seemed as if there was something extra special about this tour being theatre focused, two big sets featuring the new album in its entirety cover to cover and all the evergreen classics plus rarely played deep cuts and if this wasn’t enough the addition of Mick Harvey (The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Crime & the City Solution) on keyboard, percussion, and backing vocals. So, for the die-hard fan this one off tour was one not to miss and who knows what the future holds for The Cruel Sea.
The first set and what was played was no real surprise playing Straight Into The Sun from start to end in its entirety but having seen it played live I definitely I have a new appreciation of how good this album actually is. The way they used the lighting and dynamics of the Dunstan Playhouse created a dynamic I don’t think could have replicated quite the same anywhere else in Adelaide. Some might have thought it was a bit dark but as the set moved along and built up there was a sense of vibrancy that emerged. Tex Perkins, no one can match it with rock swagger, looked sharp greeting the audience with a “good evening, thanks for being here, we would like to play the album from go to woe”.
How Far I’d Go had plenty of theatre spunk and set the tone for what was to follow. With a promise from Perkins to play the album “in the same order and sequence” No Promises continued very much in the same vain. The title track picked up the pace and really did chug along. The intro to Waste Of Time pitched this one as a combination Bach and Little Feet. Razorback, one of many instrumentals, was an opportunity for the rest Of The Cruel Sea (Jim Elliott, Dan Rumour, Ken Gormly and Matt Walker) to shine.
Interestingly You Shine emerged from the “rubbish bin of songs” and as Perkins described “we had a crack at it thirty four years ago, polished it and it shines”. That it does. Being well deep in to side two of the album it was Anyway, Whatever and It Ain’t So Easy which took the show to the intermission with Perkins pointing out “being in a theatre you’re entitled to an intermission, do what you do, go for it”.
Returning refreshed for the second part of the show it was another instrumental in Shadder before returning to more familiar territory with It’s Alright (‘Cause She Loves Me). There’s no doubt that James Cruickshank is there in spirit but on the same hand the influence Matt Walker has on this band is significant. Perkins said that they were going to “dig deep in the black cattle dog” with I Feel and going back even further back “rolling out the time machine” going back to the first album playing Down Below, Deadwood and No Excuse which had not been played in thirty five years. The was a tale about an unaccompanied lighting desk in 1986 which led in to instrumental 4.
Baby was dedicated to Perkins first daughter Tuesday and Woman With Soul was played for all the mothers with Perkins asking when Mother’s Day is. Delivery Man was popular and as Perkins eloquently put it “every woman with soul deserves a delivery man”. This Is Not The Way Home was fantastic and closely followed by Blame It On The Moon was preceded with some “odd” facts about the moon and that it is “responsible for everything”. Leaving the stage he encouraged the crowd to make some noise saying “let us know if you want some more”.
The encore covered some different ground also starting with instrumental The Charmer followed by their “adventures in reggae” with the Naked Flame. Another rare gem in Let’s Lay Down Here And Make Love got a few giggles as Perkins encouraged “outdoor love making”. The night ended on the anthemic Black Stick which topped a great show and the first of the tour. Definitely, worthwhile checking out.
Live Review By Rob Lyon
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