In 2012, after thirteen years of a relentless touring schedule, three albums, two of which cracked the ARIA top five, Boge departed the band among tensions – both musical and personal – and many assumed that that was indeed that.
During an all too brief talk on the phone, Boge went into surprisingly candid detail about his leaving the band, a brief and by his accounts brutal stint as a solo acoustic cover singer – some may call it character building – a chance reunion with former bandmate Kurt Goedhart and the rebirth of The Butterfly Effect.
“I just bumped into Kurt a gig in The Valley in Brisbane and after about twenty minutes, it just felt like old times and we’d realised how much we missed each other,” he states with obvious excitement. He then went on to say that he emailed the rest of the band and was met with an almost instant and unanimous reaction to bury the hatchet and get back to doing what they do best.
Boge’s love for the band and playing and touring together is almost infectious. Even over the phone it’s obvious why he is one of the best frontmen in the country.
I had to ask what it was like going from the Butterfly Effect to being a solo covers singer in bars in Brisbane. I can imagine it would be a long way down from selling out some of the biggest venues in the country and headlining festivals to being the anonymous guy on the stool in the corner of a pub. His response?
“With huge TVs playing the footy behind you and drunk people yelling ‘Play ‘The Horses’ ya c…t !’” Boge laughs. “Man, I don’t know any songs after about 1990!“ Anyone who’s ever done gigs like that can attest to the fact that it can be soul destroying, yet getting through it intact can be rewarding.
It’s no secret that Boge has struggled with depression in the past, and while I was reluctant to broach the subject, Boge had no qualms in opening up. “Man, sometimes I couldn’t get out of bed, it was just too hard, but at least I had something to write about.” Anyone familiar with The Butterfly Effect’s music can attest to the fact that their lyrics are not afraid to address the darker emotions of life. Turning what can be a terrible situation into something positive like music can be extremely beneficial and therapeutic, not just for the artist but for the audience as well.
And now for the big news. Having released the single ‘Unbroken’ earlier this year, the question on every fan’s lips has to asked, and that is “Will there be an album to follow?” I barely get the question out and Boge responds with a resounding and passionate “YES!” The band is currently writing and recording a new album, which is supposedly due out later next year.
One of the problems with recording earlier albums was that the band wanted to get a little more experimental which was at odds with Boge’s desire to stick to what they were known for. “We’re getting on a lot better than we used to, priorities have changed with people growing up and having families and growing up in general”.
The impression one gets is that like everyone, even musicians grow up- it’s now twenty years since The Butterfly Effect formed – and with that growth comes a maturity, empathy and understanding that only comes with adding more candles to the cake each year.
The Butterfly Effect are touring for Good Things Festival this month. Stay tuned for more news from the band in upcoming months.
