The Brisbane rock band delivered a fearless and utterly crushing performance at Northcore Theatre on October 14, performing their first new album in 14 years.
First of all, how good is Northcote Theatre!? I’ve been going to gigs all around Victoria for at least 10 years now and somehow, this was my first time visiting Northcote Theatre. When you add up two huge bars, a stunning viewing area upstairs, great sound, lots of room for moshing and a band as experienced and incredible as The Butterfly Effect, you know you’re in for a great night.
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I have to say, a main highlight of the night for me was support act Caligula’s Horse, who absolutely brought their best to kick the night off. Going into the show, I’d heard three or four of their songs – I did enjoy them, but I was absolutely blown away listening to their live show compared to their releases. They are all insanely talented musicians but that guitarist just doesn’t slip up while playing the most technical riffs with ease and when it’s solo time… What the fuck is that guy taking? I want some. The highlight of the set for me was probably their song ‘Dream the Dead’; that chorus is damn catchy and got the crowd singing along nicely. Huge props to Brisbane’s finest.
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On to the main event, The Butterfly Effect… What a perfectly thought out and fun set. I know they’ve been together since 1999 but how are they so tight!? Also, Clint Boge’s vocals get better with time, seriously. He was incredible live and that strong falsetto and grunt in his voice was awesome to hear. This is one of those bands that you watch live and just think ‘wow, the bassist and drummer talk to each other so much to make the rhythm section of the band the absolute best it can possibly be’. The band is so damn tight together, and when you combine that with the amazing use of effects from both the bassist and guitarist, incredible vocals and a strong setlist put together from over 20 years of playing together, The Butterfly Effect are still not be messed with.
Opening with the tracks ‘IV’ and ‘Dark Light’ from their new album IV was awesome, I really enjoy that song and all the tracks they played from this new album were amazing, especially ‘So Tired’ which was extremely heavy live. One of the highlights of the setlist for me was ‘Window and the Watcher’. What a damn song. Everyone in the building loved it and the singalongs were super loud and enjoyable to be a part of, which was a common theme of the set with songs like ‘A Slow Descent’, ‘Always’, ‘Room Without a View’, ‘Before They Knew’ and ‘Worlds on Fire’. Even just writing about it now, what a bunch of anthems.
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After a strong need for an encore from the crowd chanting ‘TEN MORE SONGS’, they came out and gave us two of their best to close the night. ‘Visiting Hours’ from the new album IV which has such a groove to it topped off with the most hooky guitar riffs and a massive ending to that song, which went perfectly into the best song they could have closed with, ‘Reach from Imago’. I used to listen the album Imago growing up and ‘Reach’ is such a nostalgic song for me and a lot of other people too, it bloody showed. The whole crowd screaming the entire song with Clint was something else and my favourite part of the night. What a band.
If you have the opportunity to see The Butterfly Effect, don’t miss it.
