IT will act as a bit of a homecoming for the girls from Bella when the trio performs at Hexham Bowling Club on Saturday night.
Bella arrive fresh from a whirlwind tour of Italy that took them on a short acoustic journey through the Veneto region, playing clubs and theatres.
The trio hopes to use the tour as a stepping- stone for a return trip to Europe with the prospect of cracking the festival circuit to coincide with the European release of their album.
And if the response they have received here in Australia is anything to go by, Kate Ballantyne, Lyn Bowtell and Karen O'Shea could be set for an exciting adventure.
It adds to what has already been a memorable 12 months for the talented vocal group.
In January this year the Newcastle-based trio took out the Golden Guitar Award for Vocal Group of the Year for the second year running with their song About A Girl. From there the group launched the release of their debut album Gravity before a capacity crowd. ``This has been a bit of a whirlwind for us.
Things have just snowballed,'' Ballantyne said.
While success with Bella has come reasonably fast, all three of the members have been working toward their musical dream for many years.
All have very strong connections with prestigious talent contest the Toyota Star Maker Quest with Bowtell, Bella's main songwriter, and Ballantyne both winners while O'Shea was a grand finalist.
``We all still do solo work,'' Ballantyne said.
``But most of my work these days is with Bella.
``We each have strengths that complement each other.
``For example, Lyn is a fantastic songwriter.
She has a way of writing heartbreaking lyrics that actually sound happy.'' Bella was formed in 2002 and originally pulled together simply for a bit of fun.
It started out simple, with the trio playing small shows around Newcastle before they caught the attention of audiences who encouraged them to take Bella to the next level.
``We initially got together because we were best friends and wanted to have fun,'' Ballantyne said.
From there the girls released their first independent single Tumbling Down which went on to help them take out the award for Best Group at the Toyota Gold Guitars in January last year.
Bella is now touted as one of the hottest names on the Australian country music circuit and the accolades keep coming.
At the recent CMAA Awards, Bella was named Best Group for the second consecutive year.
Bella's latest single She Still Believes is out now. Tickets to Bella cost $18 and are on sale at the venue. Bookings can be made on 4964 8079.
Doors open at 7pm.
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