With his heart on his sleeve
Mat McHugh is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and performer who has always worn his heart on his sleeve.
From the fateful evening on which he decided that playing an open mic night was the way to win the girl of his dreams, his path as a musician has been adventurous, winding and often unexpected.
![Mat McHugh Nov 2013 #1 (lo-res]](https://www.echo.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Mat-McHugh-Nov-2013-1-lo-res.jpg)
Mat is best known for his pivotal role in Sydney’s The Beautiful Girls, the outfit who provided the means for his initial musical musings.
His role in the band, as the front man and creative force, led to glowing reviews, tours, international travel, meetings with heroes, dalliances with villains and an exploration of what was important as a human being, an artist and a man.
Mat’s at the Hotel Brunswick on Thursday.
Worth a Fortune
On Sunday the Billinudgel Hotel presents popular local band Jezabels Fortune. The band love doing this gig and it is always a great afternoon. Jezabels Fortune is jam packed with talent including master guitarist Geoff Wright, the rhythm section boasting Lenny Riley on drums and Johnny Harris on bass, on piano well-known local musician Grant Robertson; add vocalist Lyne Davis and you get Jezabels Fortune.
Don’t miss them. Gig starts at 3pm.
Sasha and Co
2014 has witnessed the blossoming talent of singer/songwriter Sasha March that many have long anticipated. Sasha’s stunning voice, emotionally sophisticated songs and captivating live performances place her as one of the most significant young solo performers working in Adelaide.
Along with shows in Adelaide, Victoria and NSW with her band, as a solo artist and in collaborations, Sasha has also shared the stage with renowned musician and producer Ken Stringfellow, USA (The Posies, Big Star, REM), whom she has since worked with in the studio.
This July Sasha is on the road in support of her self-titled debut solo EP released in April 2014. Joining her is singer/songwriter Tom Redwood. A veteran of the Adelaide underground punk scene, Redwood exposed himself as a poignant singer/songwriter with a distinctive voice and knack for words that leave you pondering. She plays on Friday at Byron Bay Brewery, 7.30pm start.
What’s on at the Drill
Five Women Wearing The Same Dress.
This next show is coming together superbly. The cast are having fun, which almost certainly means the audience will. It is for adult minds only as it contains adult themes of sex, gender relationships and drug taking and will get you thinking as well as laughing out loud in recognition. Additional good news is that there is an industrial heater that we will use to warm the theatre so you don’t have to fear the cold of a winter evening in the Drill.
It plays for three weekends from Friday 25 July to Sunday 10 August. Show starts Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 5pm. Tickets from the Bookshop, Mullumbimby, or online at drillhalltheatre.org.au.
It’s all True
True Vibenation are misfits. Mash together two Zimbabwe-born twins, Verbaleyes and Native Wit, both raised by artist/activist parents, with a touch of Kiwi via childhood friend Klue, and a good dose of horns (brass) and you have a combination you won’t find anywhere else in Australia and possibly the world!
Over the years, the inner-western Sydney trio have developed a strong following thanks to a live show that revels in making you dance in a semi-‘special’, unselfconscious way and songs that combine infectious hooks and razor-sharp raps with roaring horns and genre-bending electronic beats. They even have a self-made instrument that literally turns audience members into human drum machines! True Vibes really have created a distinct yet instantly catchy sound all their own. With three horns, three vocalists and three beat-makers logically True Vibes should have nine people in the band, but after graduating with a masters degree in ‘ballin’ on a budget’ they get by with only three members and a strange delight in lugging equipment to shows. Show starts at 8pm on Saturday at the Byron Bay Brewery.
Exposing your art
The Byron Bay Brewery will be hosting its new regular Thursday ARTSEXPOSURE night featuring graffiti artists creating their art on the spot, decor installations, DJs playing – hip-hop, glitch, dub, liquid DNB, progressive psy and minimal tech – and fire spinners will all be performing on the night.
You can also win an OBfive cruiser skateboard sponsored by our friends The Wreck Surf & Street! And it’s a free-entry event. WOW! Even Santa would struggle to top this one. Starts at 7pm on Thursday at the Byron Bay Brewery.
Brumby and Brophy
Monique Brumby has achieved a lot in her career: she’s a two-time ARIA winner, has played shows alongside the legendary Jeff Buckley and The Bangles, and has written a song with Paul Kelly.
Despite all these successes she’s definitely not afraid to mix it up and try new things. The release of her single Silent War this month from her fifth (and self-titled) album, sees an addition of electronic sounds to her repertoire, something that her fans are embracing. Nicole Brophy released her debut EP Stubborn Love independently in 2010 and launched it as part of The United Tour, which was a six-week national tour show of four individual artists from four states.
Nicole has recently toured with Kim Churchill, Caravana Sun, Tex Perkins, Gossling, Dawn, Sarah McLeod, Paul Greene and Monique Brumby and is currently completing the finishing touches on her latest album – recorded in a farmhouse in the southern highlands of NSW, co-produced by Syd Green; it will be released late 2014.
Friday at the Currumbin SoundLounge.
