The pandemic may have denied Bathurst-born singer-songwriter Matt Boylan-Smith the opportunity to return for a home town show in January, but he's set to perform in town next weekend with an eventful start to 2022 under his belt.
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After the release of '16 Miles Wide' in November, his first single in 18 months, Boylan-Smith has released four new songs across the first five months of 2022.
The latest single, 'Break Your Hands', was released on Tuesday just in time for his gig at The Victoria Bathurst on Saturday, May 21.
"I can't wait to get back in front of my home crowd, and I'll be supported by a great line-up of artists in fellow local blokes Andy Nelson and Joe Simmons, as well as Josie Laver," Boylan-Smith said.
"None of these artists I see as support acts, they're just as much part of the night, and I want everyone who comes to have a good time."
With 'Break Your Hands', Boylan-Smith said he'd adopted a sound that crosses between country and blues.
"It's not as fast-paced as some of my more recent releases; which have been big rock songs; it goes back to my roots a little bit," he said.
Boylan-Smith said his other new releases for 2022, including 'Somewhere in Soho', 'Lover, Meet my Eyes' and 'Follow Me', have been tracking along well.
"'Somewhere in Soho' got national coverage through ABC Radio and the film clip for '16 Miles Wide' [filmed at The Foundations in Portland] is getting airtime on Australia's Country Music Channel and over in the United States," he said.
"While the songs aren't hitting the charts or anything, they're building a genuine underground following."
Boylan-Smith recently took part in the Byron Bay Bluesfest busking competition, where he was the only soloist to make the finals.
"As a result, I got to play at the festival, which was an incredible experience," he said.
Prior to next weekend's Bathurst gig, Boylan-Smith will take Nelson to Sydney for a show at The Chippo Hotel in Chippendale, alongside Saije [who performed in Bathurst last year] and Manning Patston.
"Saije were also in the busking competition at Bluesfest, and they were phenomenal," he said.
"It's also a joy to get Andy Nelson in front of a Sydney crowd, as I have a real soft spot for him and his music.
"The growth of gigging opportunities is all about networking, and it's always been an important goal of mine to help other musicians I come across get some experience performing in front of unfamiliar crowds."
Doors for Boylan-Smith's May 21 show will open at 7pm. Tickets cost $30 and are available from the Facebook event page.
A second show will occur that day if the first sells out. For more, visit Boylan-Smith's Facebook page.
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Sam Bolt
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
