The Beautiful Girls

Upon arrival at Yallah we were confronted with one extremely large old woolshed full of eager punters. With a young and friendly vibe filling the place the scene was definitely set for a good night.
Up and coming Sydney rockers The Fumes opened the show. They are the support band on this national tour and it isn’t hard to see why. The duo comprising of Steve Merry on guitar and vocals and Joel Battersby aka Battsy on percussion have only just recently released their first LP. Playing to a very much virgin Fumes crowd they were able to captivate their audience by playing most of the material off their new album “Guns of Gold”. With a blistering, rocking set these boys are destined only for bigger and better things.
The break between support and headlining band was enough to leave the crowd very much on their toes and hanging in anticipation for what was next. As soon as The Beautiful Girls came onto the stage they were received with a very warm response.
Opening with the familiar chords to We’re Already Gone, lead singer and guitarist Mat McHugh demonstrated just why this band has become so successful. As the band became comfortable with the Yallah crowd a joyful reggae tempo and mellow vibe emerged from the stage.
The set list comprised of both old and new material, with the crowd responding to favourites scattered throughout such as Blackbird, Periscopes, Music and Weight of the World.
Highlights of the night included newcomer Bruce Braybrooke ripping it up on drums and the keyboardist from fellow Sydney band Tommee and the Neighbourhood bashing the keys like they were old favourites. Battsy, Fumes percussionist, also joined the boys on stage, bringing a little bit of the Fumes rocking sound to combine with the familiar reggae tunes.
Bass player Clay McDonald provided the ever reliable backing chords for the band whilst still managing to impress the ladies within the crowd.
With the Yallah locals hanging on at every song, the ‘Girls’ closed their set with The Wrong Side of Town. Coerced back onto the stage by the still very eager crowd they re-commenced their set with the old Cold Chisel cover of Flame Trees, also having earlier covered Johhny Clegg’s (prominent South African singer-songwriter) song Dela. This was enough to spark a sing a long and many happy faces.
Followed by La Mar and closing with an old favourite Morning Sun, Yallah Roadhouse was definitely left with a sweet taste in it’s mouth.
All in all a beautiful night with big props to support band The Fumes for getting the crowd going and The Beautiful Girls for doing what they do best- pumping out the tunes in an unforgettable way.

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