The John Butler Trio Live At The Brooklyn Bowl

The John Butler Trio’s show at the Brooklyn Bowl the other night (7/11) was one of the year’s very best.

The Australian outfit’s set was a riveting blend of blues, funk and rootsy rock and roll and it picked generously from the band’s discography, including their most recent effort Flesh and Blood (2014). A few nights shy of wrapping up their North American tour before their extensive October European jag, the band was in fine form.

“Wade In The Water” was the perfect opener and whether it was the sprawling epic version of “Ocean,” the funky breakdown of “Betterman” or the bluesy howl of “Losing You”–which Butler played with his wife Danielle Caruana’s band Mama Kin (who also opened the show)–the setlist was a Butler fan’s dream.

Butler has the kind of natural on-stage wattage that makes him one of the most watchable performers in modern music. Whether he’s pounding way on the banjo or plucking wistfully on an acoustic while sitting down, he’s a machine of pure charisma.