MAT McHugh finds it funny that people still believe that there is a difference between his work when he is using his own name and his work when he uses The Beautiful Girls title.
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‘‘To be honest, it doesn’t matter what I call my music anymore,’’ McHugh said.
‘‘As far as what I call it, that means more to other people than me, as I have been working the same collective of people touring under a number of different names.
‘‘ How people perceive it and take it is very funny and interesting to all of us.
‘‘There are people that are really supportive and follow the whole thing closely, and their attitude is ‘‘who cares, man?’’ and then you get the cursory show listener or cursory show attendee that might pop their head in and ask why I am ripping off so many Beautiful Girls songs.
‘‘Then there are people that are so excited and like ‘can’t believe that you are back’ and we are like ‘we were here six months ago’.
‘‘I do understand that though, but the beauty of The Beautiful Girls is it is recognisable and that is a positive thing, and it can be called whatever it wants to be called, whatever gets more people involved.
The Beautiful Girls name, which was on hiatus for a little while, was again put out there last year with a return to McHugh’s reggae sound on Dancehall Days.
‘‘I look back on albums as diary entries, as it was an intense period as I have a little boy [Kingston], and that was full on as I had to get the album out in three months.
‘‘I love the album and it exceeded my expectations.’’
McHugh will change tack and release an acoustic album later this year, which will feature him playing his father’s original guitar from the 1960s.
His father died when he was 10.
McHugh rates the guitar as the strongest connection that he has to his dad.
Before that McHugh, using The Beautiful Girls name, will be one of the headline acts at Party in the Paddock at Burns Creek.
‘‘The primary thing is what kind of day of music will it be for me, what vibe will it have, and this one, of all the ones we have done in the past 18 months, is pretty eclectic, with such a wide range of music.
‘‘Tassie is a great place, and we love coming down there as everyone wears their hearts on their sleeves.
‘‘We’ve evolved as a collective from when we started, and our new shows are way different, and the stuff that I really enjoy is incorporated in it. I love hip-hop and early dub music, and the stage show is presented in that fashion.’’
GIG FACTS
WHAT: Party in the Paddock.
WHERE: Blessington Road, Burns Creek.
WHEN: February 20 and 21.
TICKETS: Available from http:/ /tickets.partyin thepaddockfestival.com.au
