Damage and the Needle Done at The Butterfly Club

Prior to heading to Melbourne I noticed a comedy show I'd seen some years earlier was being revived. Fiona Scott-Norman, a Melbourne comedienne, did this amazing show about bad vinyl and we saw it at The Playhouse back in 2009. I remember it as the funniest thing I had ever seen! I thought that if it came back I would definitely see it again. Well I was in luck, it would be on when I was in Melbourne, and at The Butterfly Club no less. A cult, cool club I'd wanted to go to, and now I had a firm reason to. I purchase the tickets online and on a cool Tuesday night I walked the whole 90 seconds it took me from my front door to the club front door!

 

The Butterfly Club is down the end of a dodgy looking laneway in Melbourne and in a multiple story old building - you know, the usual!

 

I climbed up the stairs with loads of posters filling the stairwells. It was dark but lit by fairy lights. First floor I collected my tickets, and made my way up to the next floor where there were bathrooms etc, then the next where there was a bar. It was small and hardly anyone there, still 30 mins till show time...sigh...kinda my worst nightmare to be in a cool bar by myself. But I fronted up to the bar and chatted to the very friendly hipster barman, who suggested a drink for me. Trevor's Load! A crazy mix of gin, ginger beer, lime, lemon etc. My favourite type of cocktail. It was dark, so I found a lounge chair and sunk into it. I then had time to take in the surrounding, every surface was chock-a-block of kitsch, I cannot even begin to explain it. Old toys, plastic animals, christmas decorations, fantasy photos, 70s memorabilia, fairy lights, headless dolls, you name it!

The waiter brought my drink over, got down on bended knee and offered me the drink from his tray with a flourish of his hand. Oh la la!!!! And the drink was divine.

 

By the time I was almost finished it, it was showtime.

 

We walked up a few more stairs to the little theatre, intimate but friendly. Fiona was at the door greeting us all individually. I sat in the second row and was pleased.

 

The show itself was much the same at I remembered it, with some minor changes, eg added albums by Bill Cosby and the Dad from Hey Dad!!!

 

Rather than re writing, here is my review from 2009, and it all still stands, bloody hilarious.

 

The only disconcerting thing was a couple had brought their, 9 or 10 year old son to the show and sat in the front row, right in front of me. It was a totally inappropriate venue for a child, let alone the show, which had profanity and awkward subject matter. The kid laughed at all the wrong points and it was super creepy. At times it did take away from the show, and I really felt for Fiona, it must have been very awkward. But she did well despite it all, and the show was indeed still funny.

 

Another highlight was Barry Morgan was in the audience, or rather the dude who is  Barry Morgan, this amused me no end and I was desperate for a photo with him on the way out, but he had gone already.

 

if you don't know Barry, shame, here he is in all his glory.

 

Yes, I have an odd sense of humour!