THOUSANDS of Brothers 3 fans lined Mudgee’s main street on Wednesday afternoon to welcome home the local X-Factor finalists with a street parade and outdoor concert.
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Makirum, Tayzin and Shardyn Fahey-Leigh were met with cheers, hand-made posters, and a huge crowd chanting “Brothers 3! Brothers 3!” as they made their way down Market Street. Mentor Dannii Minogue was at the wheel of the car, which was hammered by screaming fans as it passed.
Fans crowded around the Market and Church Street intersection, jostled for “selfies” with the brothers and later walked behind their vehicle to Parklands for the free concert.
As police directed traffic away from the intersection, a puzzled driver asked what was going on: He was told “Haven’t you heard? The Beatles are in town!”
“Who thought this would ever happen in Mudgee? I love Mudgee,” Tayzin said.
Youngest member Makirum said they couldn’t have expected a better reception from their home town, even though he wasn’t expecting so many people to turn up.
“We were just hoping 50 people would just turn up, and that’s the truth. It’s just amazing, the weathers great, there’s a good crowd, and we’re really excited for it all,” he said.
Of course, Brothers 3 wouldn’t have returned to Mudgee like conquering heroes if it weren’t for mentor Danni Minogue who has guided them through the past few months of the competition.
“These guys are just my rays of sunshine, hearts of gold’ everything that Mudgee is,” Danni said.
“I’m so happy to be here to see it. Young old, there’s no age limit for people who like their fans.”
Brothers 3 were eliminated early in the competition, only to be voted back in as a “wildcard”.
But despite some controversial song choices, fans have stuck by them to send then to send them to the grand final on Sunday.
The winner of a Sony Music Australia recording contract will be decided by votes from the public and judging by Wednesday’s turnout, the Brothers 3 can count of plenty of support from their home town.
“We’ve known them since they were young. They are such beautiful people who give so much to the community and we’re proud to show our support.”
“These boys are the right ones to win,” Danni said.
“This is the X-Factor. You can go through singing lessons and all that but you can’t give people their personality, you can’t give them heart, you can’t give them soul, you can’t give them happiness, but that it absolutely natural with Brothers 3.”
Among those who lined Market Street for a glimpse of Brothers 3 or headed to Parklands were fans from when the boys first picked up a guitar, people who had watched them play the Gulgong Folk Festival, and those who had only started listening to their music when they heard them on the X-Factor.
“We’ve been watching them since they were first on the show,” Helen Rigby said.
Makirum is my daughter’s guitar teacher and their Mum Alita is her singing teacher.
“We’ve known they since they were young. They are such beautiful people who give so much to the community and we’re proud to show our support.”
Tune into X-Factor at the special time of 8pm on Sunday night to see the brothers take to the stage for the right to be crowned the 2014 X-Factor winner. The results will be announced on Monday night from 7.30pm and voting will close at midday on Monday, October 20.
