A Valentine’s Day Serenade
21 Years of Begins Here at Waves - Wollongong, NSW

Supported by WITH HANDS LIKE HOUSES

Friday 14th February 2025

Written by: Jimmy Wah
Photographer: RA

What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than sharing the love of music by the ocean? That’s how THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT marked the 6th show of their 21 Years of ‘Begins Here’ By Demand Regional Tour - Early ‘25 with special guests HANDS LIKE HOUSES, bringing fans from far and wide to be a part of it. THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT have been a renowned staple in the Australian alternative rock scene since they shot to fame with their seminal album Begins Here in 2003. Last year they blew audiences away in major cities across Australia with their 20th Anniversary of Begins Here, playing the beloved album IN FULL. This year they’re doing it all again, except this time they’re playing 24 shows across regional towns from the top end to the southern tip of the mainland, and East coast to West.

Arriving at Waves’ carpark about 15 minutes before doors, the queue was already stretched across the front of the venue to the adjoining Towradgi Beach Hotel. Entering the front doors courtesy of the lovely staff at Waves, the inside of the venue seemed different to what I remember 15 years ago. Apart from the fresh coat of paint, new carpet and upgraded lighting, the stage seemed a vast distance away from the entrance. I later learned that this was always the case but the stage could be brought forward to host smaller gigs of 500 people. In its current configuration it could hold an almost 1500 capacity, making tonight’s 850 a perfect size for a comfortably crowded show. After the crowd started filtering in It wasn’t long before rain began to fall outside, transforming a balmy Valentine’s night into a Shakespearean tragedy as lightning crashed over the sea. Was this an omen of misfortune or an indication of the electrifying set to come? Let’s find out together.

HANDS LIKE HOUSES are an alternative rock band from Canberra who are no strangers to the touring circuit. Formed in 2008 they already have 6 EPs and 4 full length studio albums to their name. Today, they were celebrating the launch of their 5th record, Atmospherics, opening the set with thunderous drums from ‘Wildfire’, the 8th track from the 16 track LP. With heavy grooves reminiscent of post-hardcore outfits like THRICE, the low end could literally blow your hair back in front of the speakers. The great thing about Waves is the deep, stepped levels. As the room quickly filled, onlookers had the choice to feel the music at incredible volume down on the floor, hear studio quality sound from the middle level where FOH is located, or chill out with easy listening at the top. Each level serviced by the bar running the length of the venue offering stunning views and a unique perspective.

Josh Raven on vocals was joined by Matt Cooper and Alexander Pearson on guitars at the front of the stage with Joel Tyrell on bass, each with their own unique style. Just behind them was Matt Parkitney holding down the groove punctuated by serious fills that could shake a seasoned battlefield veteran. Josh has recently taken the reigns from original vocalist Trenton Woodley and very much stomped his authority behind the mic. Waiting til after the 4th song ‘Panic’ to address the audience, the music had a chance to speak for itself. “Hello beautiful people… Put your hand up if you don’t know who the fuck we are!” elicited the first of many interactions as he continued to hype up the crowd throughout the set and get heads bouncing. The opening of ‘Fatally Fractured’ had a groove that reminded me of KORN’s ‘Here to Stay’ making me feel very much at home, followed by "Everything you see, everything we do is completely in house, we've done it all. We're trying to bring back independent Australian rock". This brought back great memories of my own baptism into the live Aussie scene, following local Sydney prog bands around the traps.

As if to prove the authenticity of his words, Josh jumped off the stage to join the crowd on the floor, forming a circle around him that instantly began to bounce like raindrops on a trampoline. Wondering how our photographer was faring in the crowd, I saw a lens pop up from between the heads that began to resemble pinballs bouncing inside an inflated Zorb. Getting back on stage for the final song ‘Heaven’ he literally kicked off the song with a high kick that matched the manic intensity of the crowd. Finishing by acknowledging THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT’s enduring legacy Josh pointed to the crowd as testament not only to that fact, but their awesome commitment to live music.

During the interval, the crowd had the opportunity to grab a drink, pick up some awesome merch at the back of the room, or brave the torrential Hollywood rain outside for some air. Back inside, the room began to fill with haze and something very special was clearly afoot. When the lights dropped, the stage was filled with the iconic blue of the Begins Here album cover, Kurt Goedhart on guitar and Glenn Esmond on bass and Ben Hall on drums appeared accompanied by the same keyboardist who played at the 20 Year Anniversary last year, Ian Peres. An extended version of he haunting intro was met with cheers as Clint Boge took the stage and the angelic opening line of ‘Perception Twin’ soon dropped into heavy riffs. Blinding lights flooded from the stage and their static electricity was physically felt from the front row. The fervent singalong of the crowd through ‘Consequence’ was met by an explosive performance by all band members as Clint held the crowd in the palm of his hand without even saying a word.

The now familiar half-time breakdown at the back end of songs like ‘One Second of Insanity’ and ‘Crave’ was a feature that the crowd has come to love as much as the originals. These variations could easily have been featured on the album and it would still be as good. Being played live, they give us a some extra music to rock out to. A moving version of ‘Beautiful Mine’ with only Clint’s voice backed up by keys showered the audience with shards of light piercing the dense atmosphere. When Glenn, Kurt and Ben returned, the music dropped as though those shards hit the floor and made the audience bounce. Kurt commanded the glassy guitars of the instrumental sections like ‘Filling Silence’ with passion and ease, before driving it home with Glenn and Ben kicking in with low end rhythm that reached beyond the flesh.

While Clint took the crowd on an emotional journey throughout the set, he allowed for the album to play through without talking between tracks, making for a seamless playthrough of the record. After ‘Filling Silence’ he did pause a moment saying, “It’s great to see all you beautiful people… Happy Valentines Day” before launching into the beloved ‘Always’, a fan favourite that demanded as much from the crowd as the musicians on the stage, singing in turns with Clint towards the end. ‘Without Wings’ and an acoustic version of ‘Overwhelmed’ seemed over far too quickly and before we knew it ‘A.D.’ marked the beginning of the ‘Outro’. Not without insanely thick grooves and an explosive finish.

Leaving the stage for what seemed like forever the crowd waited for Clint to return, this time accompanied only by Ian to sing a stripped back version of ‘Gone’ with keys. “This one goes out to all our family and friends that couldn’t be with us tonight”. The raw emotion of the uninterrupted vocals let the words sing so much clearer, leaving not a dry eye in the house. I was reminded of my cousin whose last gig happened to be THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT before she left this Earth. When the band returned to the stage, the sadness was broken with madness as one of the band’s heaviest songs in recent years ‘Nil By Mouth’ was played, showcasing a spacey riff that utterly bounced. Fan favourites ‘Window and the Watcher’ and ‘Reach’ closed out the show and heartfelt thanks to the audience and HANDS LIKE HOUSES, leaving a sweet taste on the back of an incredible night that will be remembered by all who were there to witness it. The entire band stuck around for another half hour to meet the fans at the merch desk, take photos, sign albums and shirts, and prove without doubt why their fans love them so much.

Massive thanks to Nobody Presents and Yours and Owls for putting on such awesome show.

Photographer: RA

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