CHECK OUT OUR GALLERY HERE!

John Butler Trio has a huge reputation to live up to. Multiple hits
in assorted Hottest 100’s, ARIA charting, whole fleets of commercial
radio stations with John Butler Trio on high rotation and a stage presence that draws festival and theater crowds alike to dance badly in the nosebleed section. All of this on the back of Butler’s unique
combination of open tunings, finger picking, slide and most
importantly, a constantly changing line up of talented artists forming
the trio.

At present, the members of John Butler Trio cite artistic
differences and depart at a rate of roughly one performer per album.
With the release of a single and album in 2010 – One Way Road and the album, April Uprising – Shannon Birchall and Michael Barker have found themselves replaced with John’s brother in law Nicky Bomba on percussion and Byron Luiters on Bass Guitar and Upright. With new artists and new songs on the stage, the big question on hundreds of expectant fans faces was whether or not JBT would live up to expectations.

Before we can get into that, there is the question of John Butler Trio’s support act, a dapper red haired young man (who i am told by unnamed sources “has a nice butt”) by the name of Brett Dennen. An American import, Dennen has supported bands such as John Mayer, Feist, Elvis Costello, Ben Folds, Missy Higgins, Pete Murray and Angus and Julia Stone just to name a few. Rather than importing talent from the US to accompany his subtle Capoed finger picking and soft voice, Dennen has instead drawn on local talent, snapping up Missy Higgin’s bass player and drummer for the tour.

Unfortunately the combined talents of the members of Dennen’s troupe seem to have not yet come together. Backing vocals were mistimed and and the instrumental accompaniment, while generally tight and well rehearsed, was also unimaginative and seemed to overpower Dennen’s awesome but subtle lyrics and quiet voice. At one stage Dennen attempted a little improv in one of his songs, and it was clear that the bassist floundered in keeping up. This was however only Dennen’s second gig with the pair, and hopefully they’ll reach the potential that is clearly there. With members of the audience arriving up to only 20 minutes before the intermission between bands it was clear who people were paying to see.

While Dennen was lit with an eerie green glow from the lighting for
his entire set, John Butler’s stage and lighting seemed a little more
elaborate with the iconic logo- a trio of arrowheads- dropping from the roof as the first bars of the first song broke through. Mostly the lighting really added to the show but at times it became painful. Whoever was on the lighting desk had a nasty habit of lulling retinas into a false sense of security with nice soft colours, only to nuke the audience a moment later with a full and constant glare of harsh, white light from over 100 globes carefully positioned at the eye level of the audience.

With all the crazy lighting, I found myself listening to Butler going absolutely nuts on Banjos, Slide guitar and a 12 string all with my eyes closed. Just soaking up the vibe. The music at times seems to travel all the way through you, curling up and around everyone in the audience. Butler is passionate about the messages he is conveying in his music. He tries to reach the audience in every song. A new number, Revolution showed this with lyrics about change and a spooky combination of a loop pedal and e-bow. Peaches and cream had everyone feeling the love a moment later. As Butler warmed up, the tempo rose. Bomba’s, percussion fell perfectly into whatever mood Butler was going for. The occasional subtle melody on the steel drum adding a bit of new flavour to old favourites. As Better Than began, people began to leave their seats.

Soon the front of the theatre and the aisles were standing room only. For a venue with only a few feet between the front most seats and the stage this made things a little uncomfortable. While many enjoyed the chance to get up close and personal, one member of the audience yelled something unspeakable at Butler and his crowd of loyal fans. While what was said was a little harsh, they had a point, the first five or so rows of the audience had nothing to look at but the back of the heads of the rabble up front. So much for sharing the love.

With a contagious vibe and amazing accompaniment, the newest
incarnation of the John Butler Trio look set to continue their reign
at the top end of Australian music scene. The new album, April
Uprising will break a three year album free drought and the the
supporting tour really showcases both the new and the old.

CHECK OUT OUR GALLERY HERE!