A Tamworth love story with guitar strings attached for Jarrad Wrigley and Tyla Rodrigues
Guitars in hand, Jarrad Wrigley and Tyla Rodrigues arrived in Tamworth last year as hungry performers keen to share their talents with whomever wanted to listen.
Guitars in hand, two singer-songwriters arrived at the Tamworth Country Music Festival last April as hungry performers keen to share their budding talents with whoever wanted to listen.
It was there that Tyla Rodrigues chanced upon Jarrad Wrigley at his very first Tamworth show, singing one of her favourite songs: Cover Me Up, by US artist Jason Isbell.
A sparse and emotive number, its chorus begins: “Girl, leave your boots by the bed / We ain’t leaving this room”, while its second verse ends with this romantic gem: “Home was a dream / One I’d never seen / ’Til you came along.”
The pair clicked immediately as fellow musicians – she complimented him on the sound of his guitar – and they began performing together the very next day, after a 10-minute rehearsal wherein they swiftly learned three songs.
By the end of the festival, having each made the seven-hour drive from their homes in southeast Queensland, a handful of busking gigs had ballooned to 20 shows. In the months that followed, Wrigley felt the stirrings of something deeper, during all those hours they spent playing and talking music together. It was on their return to the home of Australian country music in July that he made his true feelings for her known.
“We drove back to Tamworth for the Hats Off to Country Music festival, back in the place it all started,” said Rodrigues, 19. “He took me out to dinner at the Riviera Bar and Grill, and he poured his heart out.”
In a video interview with The Australian, Wrigley, 20, sat beside his girlfriend and said with a laugh: “For months, I’d been telling myself I wasn’t gonna catch the feelings – and, well, I didn’t do a very good job. It’s been an awesome journey, and the future’s looking super bright.”
This time around, they’re attacking Tamworth together.
While staying at the local campgrounds, Wrigley and Rodrigues have a string of gigs booked through to Sunday, playing mostly as a duo, having released their first singles – titled Further To the Land and Missed Calls, respectively – last year.
Their audiences are small so far, but they’re building; a story starting with a love match won’t hurt their chances of success, either.
“It’s pretty cool that we were able to find someone where we get to share what we both love together,” Rodrigues said, smiling at her partner in life and music.
The annual festival has resumed its usual spot on the summer calendar for the first time since 2020 after several years of Covid shuffling; last year’s event was postponed to April to comply with NSW Health bans on singing and dancing that were in effect 12 months ago.
Headline performances from artists including Kasey Chambers, Troy Cassar-Daley and lead Golden Guitar Award nominee James Johnston will be held at venues across Tamworth this week, with the annual country music awards to be held on Saturday night.
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