The John Butler Trio recently began their ‘Flesh and Blood’ album tour at the Fremantle Arts Centre in Perth. When an artist lives locally it’s easy to be complacent and think you’ll see them next time. The John Butler Trio is one exception, I always grab a ticket when they are in town. Sitting underneath the ghostly gums waiting for the band to start I pondered why that might be, what can you always rely on at a John Butler Trio concert.
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| John Butler Trio © The Ponder Room |
For a start there’s crowd. Always incredibly diverse, friendly and seemingly in good spirits. I’ve never made it through a concert without a yarn or two with complete strangers. This year began with a tall thin middle aged Elvis Costello look-a-like, sporting skinny black jeans and a black t shirt announcing that he’d been ‘Exhumed’ … now that’s the ultimate in fan dedication wouldn’t you say?
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John Butler Trio © The Ponder Room
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Venturing further forward, to the front right hand side of the stage, I soon felt an insistent tap, tap, tap on my shoulder. Expecting to see a burly security guard I was astonished to find I’d been touched by an angle. A gorgeous ringlet infested two year old girl, being carried by her father. She’d reached out her luminous red wand and chosen my shoulder to beat out the rhythm. I was touched … literally. And so the night continued with interesting chance encounters.
2. An uttering mesmerising marathon guitar solo
There always comes a point in the concert when Butler seems to let the fact that he is on stage drift away, as he disappears into an extended solo, this time Ocean. For me, this is always the best part of the concert. I could listen to him for hours and pondered that the rest of the audience would agree as we all sat trance-like listening. The massive fairy-light festooned cruise ship, docked in the harbour behind the stage, could easily set sail without any of us realising.
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| John Butler Trio © The Ponder Room |
3. An understanding about current issues
‘Nothing lasts forever the good times and the bad and that’s okay … you know when the bad times come they won’t last forever.’ Butler declared while introducing one of the new songs.
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| John Butler Trio © The Ponder Room |
Waiting For Spring To Come (I hope I got the title right it was hard to remember with an angle bouncing nearby), shows Butler is in touch with the current zeitgeist. A perfectly timed song given the increasing reports about people struggling with depression and other mental health issues.
As Butler summed up when talking about the new album.
‘I hope it can be the soundtrack for some cool moments in their life and some shit moments in their life and I hope it can be there for them at the ebb of their energy wave and at the crest of it. In the loud times and the quiet times. That would be nice, and I think that’s what all good art’s done for me. It’s been there for me, in one way, or another.’
4. The importance of community involvement
Not backward in voicing his own opinions about key issues, Butler also stresses the importance of community involvement, no more so than the upcoming election. It’s not every concert that includes a political booth.
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John Butler Trio © The Ponder Room
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John Butler Trio © The Ponder Room
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5. A look behind the mask
Some performers never let down the mask, you never really get to know them, not so Butler. The home town setting had him opening up about his earlier journey as a busker, regularly performing inside the Fremantle Markets until one day he was ‘kicked out’ by the manager. The reason was too many people were stopping to listen to him play, thereby clogging up the walkway. Consequently he was moved out onto the ‘big stage area’.
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| John Butler Trio © The Ponder Room |
‘I owe him a lot,’ said Butler, explaining that the Fremantle Markets manager effectively started off his now global career.
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| John Butler Trio © The Ponder Room |
‘I know there are lots of people in the audience who love and support me … family and friends out there but I’m really nervous.’
How refreshing.
The evening left me pondering …
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While a home crowd might be an advantage for sportspeople, does it have the opposite effect on performers? It’s more difficult to hide behind your performance persona when people who know you well are in the audience. I know I much prefer to speak in front of strangers. What about you?
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While I can’t speak for other states, in Perth we had the added bonus of wonderful green setting, balmy night. What a perfect setting for a concert.
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I’ll definitely be buying this 6th album.
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Make sure you get a ticket early, some shows are already sold out.
Good luck to the band on the tour.
The tour is taking in major cities and regional centres. For more information go to
