The Butterfly Effect

w/ Calling all Cars

The Bridgeway Hotel, Adelaide, SA – 25th June 2010

The Butterfly Effect, Four Wheels and a Heartbeat tour: One band, 10,000 kilometres, four states, twenty-five towns… This is TBE’s way of thanking their rural fans, “and so it goes…”

It’s 8pm on Friday night and I arrive, baffled at the sheer length of the line which appears to be relentlessly wrapping itself around the girth of the Bridgeway Hotel in Pooraka, Adelaide. I contemplate why Pooraka, approximately 20 minutes from the heart of Adelaide, is considered “rural” enough to be included in this supposedly rural tour, and then continue to watch the line extend as excited individuals brace the chill to secure their spot inside the venue. Beefed-up security soon announce all tickets have been sold, a statement met with several groans no doubt indicative of “Shit, I should have booked tickets earlier…”. Inside the seemingly renovated venue, there is no forgetting you are indeed in Pooraka (let’s just say I’m glad they’ve made the switch from glass to plastic cups…).

To the show… Marshall stacks adorn the stage, and NSW three-piece Calling All Cars enter and commence their 45min set with a thundering intro. The band are tight and open with Animal, during which Adam Montgomery provides awe-inspiring, thumping basslines. As I watch brothers Haydn and James Ing work their magic on guitar and drums respectively, I’m not surprised this little band from the town of Tilba are touring with the likes of Aussie champs like Cog and The Butterfly Effect. With somewhat scene hair and clad in black skinnys which make him somewhat resemble a spider, Haydn Ing smiles at the crowd as he provides flawless vocals to tracks like How Long, Liar Liar Liar, Little Red Hands, and the 2009 hit Hold, Hold, Fire. As the bass throbs during the intro of Run Away, the mostly-receptive crowd lap up all that CAC have to offer. Crowd engagement peaks throughout Disconnect, and more predictably, Not Like Anybody, during which the band stops and voices scream “You say that you are not like anybody, you’re not the same” in unison (or, more realistically, in attempted unison). Overall, a solid performance; I have much respect for this band. But just quietly, I’d rate them a lot more in the absence of a couple of rather cliché ‘rockstar’ quotes (eg. “I wanna see everybody with their hands in the air”) and a merch plug…

Setting the stage, TBE’s logo, the token “butterfly wings”, are stretched across an amp. In walk frontman Clint Boge, bassist Glenn Esmond, guitarist Kurt Goedhart and drummer Ben Hall. Formed in 1999, TBE have tirelessly, and successfully, etched their name into the live scene. Hailing from Brisbane, the band is known for attracting dedicated pockets of fans right across the country. The inspiration behind this tour: to visit the more “rural” of places, including some places which haven’t seen the band for over five years. They open with the 2002 favourite Crave. The crowd reciprocates. Crowdsurfers fly into the burly arms of security. However, throughout the show, there is a noticeable lack of surfing, at least when compared to the frequency of the act during TBE’s memorable 2002 and 2003 shows at venues like the Adelaide Uni Bar.

Take It Away, from the 2001 EP is undoubtedly a highlight in the eyes of many. Clint, clad in white suspenders and a tee stating: “Aftermath: Liverpool Riots”, proceeds to rip the stage apart. And despite hearing this track performed live on countless occasions, when Clint whispers “take it away…”, it is enough to evoke old wounds. His delivery is heartfelt. During Room Without A View, taken from 2008’s Final Conversation Of Kings, Clint holds a note for so long during the line “where were you hiding” that I’m a little scared he might pass out…

The new track 5 Golden Rings is a definitive highlight. Clint dutifully informs the crowd that the song is based on his experiences with a fortune teller “somewhere in the Middle East”. If anyone thought The Butterfly Effect were mellowing during the ageing process, they were horribly wrong; this is TBE revisiting their roots, and it is oh-so-welcome! Clint growls like the wounds are fresh, and yet the song remains notably melodic. The effect is stupefying; this track has as much raw energy and depth as any track from the EP or 2003’s Begins Here. Kurt plays as if he’s completely consumed by the music; eyes closed, like a child immersed in the beauty of the wilderness. He wears a black tee stating: “Flirty K is here to play”…

One Second of Insanity, a gem from 2003’s Begins Here, blows the roof off. Ben’s drumming is as impeccable as always and the crowd laps it up. During Before They Knew, the band pauses and after a few seconds, then launch into a Portishead cover. This is undoubtedly lost on the majority of the crowd, but for those who adore Portishead, it is a sacred moment. The band also covers the infamous Australian Crawl classic Reckless. The effect is haunting. It is moody, melodic, and heartfelt; everything a cover should be, but rarely is… 2003’s A.D. is a pleasant surprise, and the encore consists of World’s On Fire, signalling the end of another great live show during which we have all been “Effected”.

The Butterfly Effect are inherently the same guys as they were when they toured relentlessly 7 or 8 years ago; the guys who remembered your name after the show, who kissed your cheek to thank you for coming, who dutifully signed a myriad of merch, who smiled for photos like they genuinely mean it, who looked you in the eyes and slapped your hand before walking offstage, who balled up their setlist and handed it to you personally after the encore, and who generally warmed your heart when you thought every band was nothing more than their ‘myspace’ page. Clint states “it’s really good to be back in the City of Churches”, and somehow, despite all the reservations I typically possess when it comes to bands making such remarks on stage, I believe him.

Setlist:
Crave
Take It Away
Room Without A View
Final Conversation
5 Golden Rings
One Second Of Insanity
Gone
Before They Knew
Window And The Watcher
Reckless (cover)
Reach
A Slow Decent
A.D.
Encore:
World’s On Fire