Review: Dan Maynard/ Photography: Luke Petty

2003 was a massive year for Australian music. The early 2000s themselves were a pinnacle in the rise of some of Australia’s best ever bands. Begins Here was Brisbane quartet The Butterfly Effects debut album, being released in August of 2003. The band now celebrate 20 years of the album that shaped and defined them as a band and a music scene along with it. This is night two for Brisbane, the opening city for the tour.

Melbourne alt rock duo Wayside are tonight’s opening act, hitting the stage bang on time, they take no time to show why they are the chosen support for the Australian tour. Their ambient and haunting intros and verses followed by big riff choruses, they fit the bill perfectly.

Vocalist Thomas Davenport embodies a gentle yet still aggressive tone, his vocal patterns play opposites with Josh Ehmers guitar riffs, giving a beautifully combined effect causing massive monolithic tracks. After a 45 minute set of stunning soundscape music, Davenport thanks the crowd and the headliners and the stage begins to be prepped for our main act.

20 years of waiting has finally paid off. After a short video playing clips that highlighted the year that was 2003, after years in the making, through heartache and triumph, the Brisbane rock veterans step foot to the stage, the lights completely shut off with only a spotlight illuminating guitarist Kurt, he plays the all so familiar and goosebump inducing notes that open the album.

Before the whole band can even kick in, the nostalgia sets in and everything just feels right in the world, this is already everything we wanted. It’s once the band all comes in together, with a cellist and keyboardist accompanying the boys, I realise how perfect this is, the sound is impeccable, the guitar tone is so on point to the album is almost eerie. As the intro comes to an end, the stage goes pitch black, complete silence until we hear vocalist Clint Boge softly sings the opening line “Push me over the edges“.

One more pause, he repeats the line and we’re off. The stage lights up like the fourth of July, a vertical LED screen stands centre of the back of the stage with Clint standing on a rise in front, the surrounding edges of the vocalist almost come off as digital due to the screen behind him only adding to the visual sensation that has suddenly taken the crowd over.

The band is here to play their debut album from start to end and boy do they do just that. Though that may come across as a blatantly obvious statement, I have seen many bands play albums in their entirety over the years. But tonight there was something very different. The production and stage set up truly lent itself to the tone of the album. The visuals, the lighting, the mood, the risers and band layout. Everything had its place. Even down to the band being dressed smart, dinner jackets and all, everything made this something special.

The songs are played flawlessly, with some small tweaks to the songs that really took the crowd by surprise. With the bridge of One Second of Insanity slowed to perfectly to a third of the tempo, an epic intro lead into Crave,Beautiful Mine being broken down to Clint along with a cello and piano, Overwhelmed played with Kurt and Clint acoustically, even with these changes the overall set encompassed the albums tone and vibe immaculately.

Once the album is complete and the band take a quick breather off stage, Clint takes to the stage once again, acknowledging the people we have all lost over the past 20 years, reassuring the crowd that they will always be with us in the music, he sings a broken down version of the 2006 hit song Gone.

The band gathered back to the stage, playing through a trio of songs. Window and The Watcher, Take It Away and Reach. A quick four song play through of some older tracks to top the night off was absolute perfection.

I think it’s safe to say that Begins Here is a perfectly crafted album from start to finish. It’s one of those beautifully assembled albums that has perfect eb and flow. Not a track sits out of place. Not a second of space between the songs has gone without thought. And tonight has only cemented that. I have seen The Butterfly Effect many many times over the last 20 years and I can honestly say this was the best they have ever sounded.

Every member was on their top game and I hope they know how important this tour means to the fans, this was perfect. 18 year old me would not even be able to comprehend what I just witnessed.