Delay gives band time to prepare for world

Jessica Benton
THREE teenage musicians from Ocean Grove hope to rub shoulders with the industry’s greats when they perform on the world stage in April.
Beau Torrance, vocalist and guitarist of alternative rock band The Rustys, said the “indie pop-rock” group was eagerly anticipating performing at London’s global Battle of the Bands.
Beau, drummer Matt Blach and bass player Lachie McKiernan will jet to London for the competition.
The boys were set to fly out earlier this month for the London performance but the event was postponed amid new sponsorship deals.
“It means we’ve got more time to practice,” Beau said.
“It’s going to be such a great experience. We didn’t think we would get this far, so we just had some fun at the national competition in Sydney.
“We ended up coming first and now we’re going to England.”
The Rustys is in the running for a $100,000 package including development and recording opportunities, cash and a United Kingdom tour.
Bands from across the globe will take part in the international competition.
“If we win we’d love to go on tour and get a recording studio,” Beau said.
“We want to keep producing ourselves because we have more creative control but a studio would give us a chance to experiment more with our next CD.”
The Rustys has been performing together since 2006, recently releasing second album Don’t Ask Me.
The global Battle of the Bands is on April 27.