Tex Perkins, as always, seems indefatigable. His stage presence, perfectly crafted since bursting onto the Sydney music since in the mid 1980s, fills the mirrored Spiegeltent and mesmerises the sold-out crowd. Joined by the ARIA Award-winning blues musician Matt Walker on acoustic guitar, Perkins weaves his old-school rock and roll magic, his gravelly vocal stylings delighting the audience with each track.

 The set is a mix of new songs and old favourites, including tracks spanning Perkins’ career and discography. To the joy of fans, Perkins and Walker play a mix of hits—The Honeymoon is Over, clearly a crowd favourite, delivered as artfully and with as much intensity as its release in 1993, while the Beasts of Bourbon’s This is not the Way Home takes the audience on a nostalgic journey, and Dark Horses gets a nod with a spinetingling rendition of Please Break Me Gently.

 ‘I don’t write songs about sex and drugs and rock and roll anymore,’ quips Perkins, ‘I write about mortgages and negative gearing and franking credits.’ The acoustic and electric guitars wash over the audience like a perfectly harmonious wave. Love Long Gone is achingly beautiful, delivered with Perkins’ trademark growl, and Woman With Soul stills the room—a dedication to Perkins’ mother, Auriel, who recently passed away.

 Oozing magnetism from every pore, rock royalty graced our shores for one night only and put on quite a show. Perkins, Walker and their guitars captivated the audience with their seamless performance and brought the tent down. With any luck, they will be back next year.

 Rating: 5 stars

 By Leila Hallak-Low