It's a bittersweet one at The Tivoli tonight and judging by the amount of early movement through the doors, there's going to be few dry eyes as Brisbane farewells one Australia's best-loved blues and roots three-piece. It's a varied crowd and it's somewhat of a testament to the way these three lads have ingrained themselves into consciousness this past decade, with a swag of summertime favourites, accolades, and massive world tours under their belts to boot. DJ Rudecat does his thing as the hoards sweep in, and his playful blend of bossa nova beats with the street-savvy reggae of groups like The Skints gets things warmed up to a suitable clime.

Eschewing any other support slots in order to play their whopping two-and-a-half hour set, The Beautiful Girls take the stage soon after with humble grace, giving the rapturous attendees a quick wave and a, “What's up, Brisbane?” from leading man Mat McHugh. The gents get down to it with the title track from 2005's We're Already Gone. Settling into an easy vibe and a slow gentle reggae with drummer Bruce Braybrooke's rim shots and piercing horns in tow, the guys cover some ground from their four studio albums, swiftly moving through faithful renditions of Bring Me Your Cup and My Mind Is An Echo Chamber before the shoulders drop and Mat let's rip on his electric guitar in And We'll Dance On The Ashes Of What's Left. Suggesting we get a drink as “there's a lot to get through tonight”, McHugh trades his electric for his acoustic and launches into popular crooner Learn Yourself.

McHugh's voice is pretty near faultless, as it generally has been over the past ten-plus years, and there are some pretty special moments between him and the crowd during long-time cherished tunes like Let's Take The Long Way Home, Periscopes and Blackbird. After calling for a beer, McHugh sees fit to unleash a bit of Phil Collins' In The Air Tonight before getting into the ska-tinged I Thought About You and the patriotic Under A Southern Sky, bursting with Paulie Bromley's chunky bass. Some weighty distortion is unleashed in bluesy number Morning Sun, and with that the guys take their exit, leaving feedback in their wake.

DJ Rudecat returns to assure the still-hungry crowd that TBG will be back “before they head to the Ekka”. The boys bound back to close with La Mar, fittingly acoustic and crowd inclusive. It's a poignant goodbye to Brisbane, the epitome of all things The Beautiful Girls are about: the beach, love, good times and chilling out. It's hard to separate these songs from scorching summers and it's fair to say this year's won't quite be the same without them.