words: Rielle
pics: Nicole Matthews
It was a warm Spring evening as devoted fans filed into the Eatons Hill Ballroom, excited to see The Butterfly Effect with special guests Thornhill and Caligula’s Horse. It had been 13 years since The Butterfly Effect’s last studio album and the release of their newest album IV had fans thirsty for a live show!
Brisbane based progressive metal band Caligula’s Horse really got music lovers attention with their opening set. Cool, collected and very in their element the band had a wonderfully dynamic stage presence. Highlights of their set included ‘Marigold’ and ‘Rust’, with Dale Prisse flexing his musical talent with his thundering bass and Sam Vallen nailing every rippling solo on guitar. Frontman Jim Grey has stunning pipes and a fantastic charisma on stage, his clean vocals floating out into the soundscape as fans soaked in every word. Josh Griffin never missed a beat with his snappy drum work as the crowd head banged in appreciation.
“All good things must come to an end, friends” said Grey as the band finished their tight set on ‘Dream the Dead’. The crowd stood in awe and cheered as Vallen let loose another groovy guitar solo and Grey’s beautiful voice was sent out into the soundscape. Hopefully there will be plenty of more great things to come from Caligula’s Horse.
Thornhill’s show began in style as the band appeared on stage and launched straight into ‘Raw’, the crowd was not prepared for this! The Melbourne based alternative rock band flexed their diverse range of sound and theatrics with their tight set, providing both a visual and audio feast for their fans.
Ben Maida’s drums were sharp, bass by Nick Sjogren was thick and Ethan McCann’s guitar roared. The band played ‘Hollywood’, with vocalist Jacob Charlton dancing and swinging on the microphone stand while showcasing the best of his vocal range from floating harmonies to guttural screams that resonated throughout the Eatons Hill Ballroom As the groovy riffs to ‘Casanova’ began Charlton addressed the audience “Shake this f*cking room up” before the band dropped into the heavy breakdown. Feet left the floor and heads banged as Charlton sang, danced and observed the chaos in the pit below, McCann ripped into an epic guitar solo before Charlton ended the song on an extended, raw scream!
Thornhill ended their set on ‘Where we go when we die!’ the crowd roared and launched into another energetic mosh session as Charlton danced around onstage with limitless energy. As Thornhill’s set ended the crowd cheered, Charlton stood onstage and took it all in one last time, before sweeping their hair back and addressing the crowd “Thank you Brisbane, have a safe f*cking night!”
The stage was black as an extended version on the intro to ‘Dark Light’ played, white lights illuminated the stage and the crowd went insane as The Butterfly Effect entered the stage. The crowd stood in awe as frontman Clint Boge’s vocals caressed their ears before the breakdown hit and the mosh broke into a frenzy!
The Butterfly Effect played a beautifully tight set, seamlessly flowing into their next song ‘Window and the Watcher’ which was a crowd favourite, guitarist Kurt Goedhart expertly played his guitar for the bridge before devoted fans sang along “I believe in, I believe in miracles!”
The band eased into ‘A Slow Descent’, ‘Always’ and ‘So Tired’ before slipping into the beautifully soft start to ‘Room Without A View’. Another favourite, the crowd sang along with their whole hearts “STARING BACK IN FRONT OF ME!” Boge pointed at the crowd with every lyric and smiled, drummer Ben Hall hit every beat with sharp accuracy, Glenn Esmond’s bass was thick and groovy and a ripper of a guitar solo from Goedhart was a delight to witness!
There were plenty of tracks played from the band’s new album IV with ‘Nil By Mouth’ being played next and then the band flowed into ‘Gone’ with the mosh pit ranging to the heavy opening. The band’s dynamic chemistry onstage was infectious and vocalist Boge was able to create soulful connections to the crowd throughout the soundscape as the crowd screamed along with him “I don’t want you, I don’t want you to go!”.
The band continued their set with ‘Before They Knew’ and then an “oldie but a goodie” with ‘Everybody Runs’ and then ‘Sum of 1’. Soon Goedhart was playing the mellow intro to ‘Worlds On Fire’, Boge’s soulful voice filled the soundscape as the crowd stood in appreciation and swayed their hands side to side. Goedhart played another skillful solo on guitar as the final breakdown ensued and The Butterfly Effect finished their set. With a short “Thank you so much!” from Boge, the band left the stage, but fans were not having it, they needed more!
And more was given to them as The Butterfly Effect made their return to the stage, all smiles and Boge with beer in hand as the crowd cheered. The intro to ‘Visiting Hours’ played as the band started their encore, the crowd was held in rapturous stillness as Boge’s voice filled the soundscape and more cheering before the band broke into ‘Reach’, Boge led the crowd in synchronized clapping before the breakdown and fans sang their hearts out “HOW LONG WE’VE BEEN TRYING TO REACH YOU!!” Cheers erupted again as ‘The Butterfly Effect’ finished their set and stood together on stage, taking it all in. “Thanks guys, we will see you next time!”
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