The Cruel Sea releases first new record in 23 years
Rock frontman Tex Perkins sums up the state of play for every working-class Australian musician who isn't AC/DC or the Kid Laroi.
'For people on our level, the only way we can put food on the table is by touring,' Perkins said.
As The Cruel Sea introduces their first studio album in 23 years on the Straight into the Sun tour this month, frontman Tex Perkins knows it may be the only opportunity fans get to hear it.
The revered 90s rockers soared to No. 1 on the ARIA Top 20 Australian Albums chart in March and their new collection of songs was greeted by a swell of goodwill from critics and fans alike.
But that chart position and good reviews don't add up to coin. A national survey last year found about half of Australia's musicians earned less than $6000 from their talents in the previous 12 months.
Gigs, and T-shirt sales, are the primary income sources for Aussie musicians because streaming and social media algorithms favour international artists, reducing the opportunities for local acts to be discovered.
The Cruel Sea rode the alternative rock wave in the mid1990s, with Powderfinger, You Am I and Silverchair, when the CD was king and cost you about $25.99 – that's worth more than $60 now.
Vinyl is the more popular physical format among music fans now and the LP version of their latest record, which retailed for $60, sold out. An anniversary version of the award-winning 90s record The Honeymoon is Over, which wasn't previously available on vinyl, also sold out.
'Ours was the last generation that could make actual money from selling records,' Perkins said.
'The label, or us, aren't making a shitload from it but it seemed to be worth their while to do it. But now, it's all about (playing) live.'
Perkins and his bandmates - bassist Ken Gormly, guitarist Dan Rumour and drummer Jim Elliott - thought the band was done after the death of guitarist James Cruikshank of bowel cancer in 2015. Rumour had 'gone off grid' and the musicians all had other lives away from the stage.
The Cruel Sea disappeared from the tour circuit for a decade until late 2023 when they were offered a national run of gigs to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their seminal The Honeymoon Is Over record.
'We didn't split up but we'd only play sporadically when someone invited us to do a festival or something and it was like 'Well, how much do we get?'' Perkins said.
Guitarist Rumour handed Perkins a CD with song ideas when they began rehearsing for the anniversary tour in late 2023 and the bandmates regrouped in February last year to record Straight into the Sun.
Among the credits on the record, and the person responsible for the album title, is Kristyna. The mononymous co-writer and backing vocalists is Kristyna Higgins, who is also Perkins' wife and has been a long-time collaborator with the band on the art direction and design for covers and posters.
'We were listening to Danny's demoes and throwing ideas around and said 'Straight into the Sun'; often all you need sometimes is a title or a phrase and then you're off and running,' Perkins said.
'There's a bunch of lines in Waste Your Time that are hers – she's a creative force and is always helping us out with graphics and photos.'
Perkins and the Cruel Sea remain as potent and thrilling on stage as they were three decades ago but the frontman admits to suffering the same insecurities as any famous artist.
It appears ageing rock gods are subjected to a similar level of chronic online body-shaming as young female pop stars these days.
'You are expected to look eternally (youthful). I dye my hair and a few years ago, put on a bit of weight and got a bit of a dad bod and got this attitude of 'What am I trying to fucking prove?' I've had enough of trying hard,' Perkins said.
'Social media will fat-shame you, old-shame you and the industry is certainly geared towards new and young is good and old is … old. But then the Cruel Sea was considered old in 1998.'
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