The Beautiful Girls @Metropolis Fremantle 1/07/2010

Mon 5th Jul, 2010 in Gig Reviews

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Some bands are just really cool; The Beautiful Girls are one of these bands. Hailing from New South Wales, The Beautiful Girls have released four albums with notable local success; this success built around their instant likeability and catchy tunes was only further emphasised by the heaving attendance at Metropolis Fremantle on a chilly winter’s night. Performing a set heavy on material from new album Spooks, The Beautiful Girls jumped between reggae and acoustic, acoustic and reggae, before playing some more reggae coupled with the late emergence of a few rock tunes to keep the mixed indie-kid/surfer audience dancing throughout the night.

First up however was indie-pop buzz artist Megan Washington, who along with her band played an uneven set which greatly exemplified both her strengths and weaknesses. Twenty-four year old Washington knows how to write a high-tempo, catchy pop tune; unfortunately for her, the songs at her disposal greatly resemble someone with only one album under their belt (Washington releases her debut album I Believe You, Liar on 30th July).

Where the recorded version of the Vanda and Young Songwriting Competiton winning How To Tame Lions became memorable through its claustrophobic energy and high emotion; the live band version sounded disappointingly loose and airy, missing the tightness of its recorded counterpart. Even fan favourite Clementine suffered this unusual fate, with Washington’s four piece band struggling to fill in the gaps the way they had been on record. Fortunately this phenomenon was contained to the first half of her set as fifth song 1997 was the first big winner of the night, getting the already strong crowd dancing along.

Recent single Rich Kids and the similarly upbeat and catchy Cement rounded off the ten song set wonderfully, both playing to her strengths. Here’s hoping Washington irons out the creases on this support tour before her headlining tour to follow which is sure to be well attended on the back of an album that is likely to be an instant success.

Hitting number 18 on the ARIA charts, Spooks represents the highest chart placing of a Beautiful Girls album so far; which was hardly surprising considering the albums strength through its interesting and catchy tunes. Opening with the upbeat 10: 10; The Beautiful Girls quickly settled into their groove, displaying the confidence of a band who knows they’re at the top of their game. My Mind is an Echo Chamber, came similarly awash with cool samples and effects which complemented the reggae feel of both songs.

Proceeding to dip into older songs, The Beautiful Girls kept the early part of their set short and sweet, before launching into a extended jam that showcased leading man Mat McHugh’s guitar skills in an undeniably awesome way. Not to be outdone, both Paulie B and Bruce Braybrooke who headed up the rhythm section displayed some impressive musicianship before the band fell into the acoustic part of their set. Fan favourite La Mar drew a strong reaction from the audience, who got to join in the first big sing-along of the night. Despite toning down the atmosphere with the more minimalistic acoustic songs, The Beautiful Girls effortlessly held the attention of the audience.

After All This Time; the Romeo & Juliet focused lullaby which showcased McHugh’s ability to take the potentially clichéd and overused and make it seem fresh and sincere. Back on the electric side of things The Beautiful Girls eased in to Home/Family, which floated in the air with both ease and emotion, something that is not easy to achieve. Upping the tempo substantially, recent single Don’t Wait mixed rock and reggae influences to get the audience dancing once again.

Rockers! (Downtown Upstyling) featured a cheeky in-song cover of Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight, which was greeted with an enthusiastic cheer from the audience; however it signalled the end of new album material as McHugh thanked the crowd for ‘enduring it’, before launching into fan favourites and big tunes I Thought About You and In Love. Both tunes were rapturously received by the audience, who thoroughly enjoyed the rockier twist that ended the set. Before playing the last tune however McHugh took his chance to thank the audience for supporting Australian indie music, which judging by his t-shirt (Support Local) was very important to him.

Quickly reappearing for a two song encore, The Beautiful Girls reverted back to an acoustic sound playing Freedom and Periscopes. Putting on a wholly fun and entertaining set, The Beautiful Girls glorified both the old and the new during a set that never dragged or became uninteresting. Here’s hoping when Washington hits the fourth album mark, she’ll be in a similar position to the Beautiful Girls.

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