It might seem odd at first, but The Beautiful Girls, set to play the Sunken Monkey at Erina on January 26, is not a bevy of ladies – but rather just one multi-talented man fronting a back-up band.
Just as South Carolina singer-songwriter Sam Beam launched his international career under the “band name” Iron & Wine, Australian songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mat McHugh is and always has been The Beautiful Girls.
“Even from the early days when it all started it was a toss of a coin whether the project would be under my name or something else,” McHugh said.
“I’d just come back from overseas in 2001 and the earliest incarnation of the songs were completely four-tracked.
“Those tapes ended up in the hands of a couple of friends who agreed to come and play shows with me.
“That was the beginning of The Beautiful Girls.”
From its inception McHugh has operated The Beautiful Girls as a “collective” rather than a “band” with various players coming and going depending on what the music he was writing at the time.
Two years after a debut EP, The Beautiful Girls were touring Japan, Canada and the US.
Sophomore album, We’re Already Gone reached #19 on the ARIA Album Chart, was nominated for an ARIA award, a Triple J ‘J Award’ and scored a coveted spot on Richard Kingsmill’s top 10 albums of the year.
Julia Stone was a guest vocalist on the album.
The Beautiful Girls will celebrate the release of their first ever live album, Rumble Inna Jungle, featuring a string of memorable tracks including Music, La Mar (The Ocean) and Periscopes, at the Sunken Monkey gig as part of a national tour.
Periscopes holds a special place in the hearts of The Beautiful Girls as it was the first song from their debut album, representing their musical journey from the beginning.
“There’s been a whole lot of life between these two moments, and you can hear it,” McHugh said.
“The Beautiful Girls have built our reputation around being the best live band we could be.”
The Beautiful Girls will play the Sunken Monkey Hotel at Erina on January 26.
Tickets are available at www.thebeautifulgirls.com