WHEN you arrive at tomorrow night's CRUEL SEA concert, close your eyes and imagine yourself on stage belting out your own lyrics to some of the group's sexy, groove-laden instrumentals.
That's what lead singer TEX PERKINS had to confront when he was first asked to front the fully formed band when it was playing around tiny inner-city Sydney venues five years ago.
In his own bands called PHUG and THE BUTCHER SHOP Perkins was already a local legend, with his six-foot-five of sneering, growling attitude.
Perkins first worked as a lighting operator for the band, as a friend of the mixer, so he could get in to see The Cruel Sea play for free.
'I was really enjoying what they were doing at the time, it was entirely instrumental, and that was their uniqueness,' he said.
At first he didn't want to mess with the group by adding a vocal to it.
'They kept suggesting that I get up and actually do something, but it took a while before I did actually concede,' he said.
'Instrumental music allows the listeners to be more involved in it; it allows them to create their own imagery.
'As soon as you put words or a singer into a song it sort of nails down the imagery, just to one thing, but with instrumental your mind can take it anywhere.'
Of course the rest is history, and Tex relented.
The Cruel Sea is now as much a vehicle for TEX PERKINS solo artist as it is the engine that drives his enigmatic stage performance.
The self-proclaimed 'vibemaster' says one of his duties is as the band's motivator.
'I push the band around,' he said.
Last year Perkins released his debut solo album and is looking to release another within the next 12 months.
'I'm not exactly sure when I should do that,' he said.
'I'm very much into the CRUEL SEA at the moment, and I'd very much like to continue expending my creativity on the CRUEL SEA.' TE
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