Having never been to the Mona Vale Hotel before, it was treat turning up to a nice, clean pub unlike many I'm familiar with. Unfortunately, running late due to a broken down car, and not realizing Sunday night gigs have earlier set times, I missed the beginning of Calling All Cars.

This was quite unfortunate, as when I did turn up I really enjoyed what I caught of their set. They dished out tracks like early singles "Not Like Anybody" and their album's title track "Hold, Hold, Fire", latest single "Runaway" and their heavy, crowd-pleasing, 'get your mosh on', "Animal". With two of the band sick and losing their voices, it's possible the vocals during their set were a little off, however crowd involvement during the more well-known tracks meant the majority of the audience wouldn't have even noticed.

I've seen a lot of this band, and I noticed all the practice they have been getting, supporting acts like AC/DC, Grinspoon and Cog has really tightened up their sound. This, and the fact most of the Butterfly Effect punters turned up early to see Calling All Cars shows they have somewhat of a following and, although they have a long way to go, CAC are possibly heading into the footsteps of their predecessors such as Grinspoon and Gyroscope.

The Butterfly Effect set up fairly quickly and came out to a extremely supportive audience. Not even half way into the first song the crowd were singing (or yelling) every word - the mosh already starting to get rowdy. The first three songs consisted of "Take It Away", "Room Without A View" and "Crave". A somewhat slow start to the set, but nonetheless a good one.

Things got warmed up with songs like "Window" and "The Watcher", "Reach", and even "Sweet and Low", an excellent variety showcasing tracks from all albums and their EP. My personal favourite "A Slow Descent" from Imago was played toward the end of the set and I could have easily left then with a smile on my face.

I felt that Clint's vocals were much better tonight then when I recently saw TBE at Come Together Festival, and the final song "Worlds On Fire" (which was apparently an encore without TBE ever leaving the stage) really showcased Kurt Goedhart's guitar skills. A pleasure to watch and listen to live.

All in all a very successful experience for my 'deflowering' of the Mona Vale!