Kim Salmon's band The Scientists imploded in the late '80s thanks to a cavalier attitude towards intellectual property rights.

Brian at the time was playing bass around Perth, Western Australia in a band called the Modern Wimps. Kim had previously admired Brian’s utter contempt for the bass guitar and decided to start the Surrealists with him.

Tony Pola completed the line up and the band did a few disheveled gigs around Perth.

Their first album was recorded in a tin shed in Perth's industrial suburb of Osborne Park, with borrowed instruments and a decidedly lo-tech recording set-up.

These recordings became the Surrealists first album – Hit Me With The Surreal Feel.

The album's release was greeted with almost universal disdain in Australia but quickly attained cult status in Europe.

The Surrealists spent the next five years touring the world and releasing another 5 albums as well as various EPs and singles. The Surrealists also supported acts including U2, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds and The Cramps.

The Beasts of Bourbon

Brian and Tony Pola joined the Beasts of Bourbon in the early '90s, splitting their time between the Beasts and The Surrealists.

The Beasts were often described as Australia’s only alternative super group, garnering a huge following in both Australia and Europe.

From their first release – The Axeman’s Jazz – to their last – From the Belly Of The Beasts – the Beasts delivered a seething mix of rock, blues and punk, both live and on record.

After more than a decade together the group dissolved in the late '90s leaving behind a legacy of unadulterated dirty, filthy rock n roll.

A comeback album – Gone – was released in the late '90s but received only mediocre reviews.

The Beasts went out with a whimper rather than a bang.