Giselle’s FATAL Butterfly
Giselle’s FATAL Butterfly
Raunchy alternative horror punk songs by Giselle LoPresti in a vaudevillian fusion show from your mom.
Music Review: Giselle’s FATAL Butterfly
I have known about and watched Giselle and FATAL Butterfly perform since LTATM | Let’s Talk About The Music kicked off. FATAL Butterfly was the opening show for the very first X-Fest, an all female-fronted band fest then hosted by TWTYE The Local Spot and the old Louie G’s. FATAL Butterfly went on to stay throughout the entire concert to lend support for all the local acts that performed after them, which exemplifies their passionate commitment to PNW indie music.
The band FATAL Butterfly enjoyed great success in PNW music until Covid struck in 2020–2021. Giselle worked hard to keep the band together as the pandemic wreaked havoc on live performance opportunities, but eventually the other members dispersed to various projects. She then decided to rebrand FATAL Butterfly as a solo act. It was a natural progression to a theatrical theme, as Giselle has been involved in the performing arts since 2013. Her style is self-described as “raunchy alternative horror punk songs in a vaudevillian fusion show from your mom.” This perfectly captures the spiky theatrical vibe Giselle brings to the stage: a blend of horror punk with a cheeky, cabaret twist.
I’ve witnessed Giselle’s hilarious, captivating, and quirky live performances since she reimagined FATAL Butterfly. She begins by roasting someone on stage, which catches me off guard every time; later I remember, “Oh yeah—that’s part of her act.” She then dives right into her hit songs: “Money Talks,” “Zombie Family,” and so many others. She is constantly creating new works, too. Giselle’s performances include tap dancing, singing (of course), and frequent wardrobe changes, along with a hearty dash of comedy. She is multi-talented and FATAL Butterfly is consistently entertaining, particularly if you are drawn to theatrical music acts.
Unfortunately, Giselle sometimes has difficulty booking performances since she’s branched out in this direction. I am guessing it is because she’s a theatrical act without the backing of a full band? It got me wondering, though: how long have theatrical performances been around, and have there been famous musicians who went in this direction just to be different?
Well, I went onto Google and guess what? There are!
A Brief History of Musical Performing Theatre
Performing theatre has been around for centuries. Ancient Greece and Rome (500 BCE–100 BCE) staged musical theatre with choruses, masks, costumes, and dancing. Medieval Europe (500 AD–1400 AD) witnessed traveling minstrels and mystery plays, which combined music, costumes, and storytelling. (You could also include court jesters, who used character/acting personas for entertainment.) Opera was born in Italy (1600 and on), but eventually became the theatrical performance of preference throughout Europe; it utilized powerful symphonic compositions overlaid with dramatic storylines, elaborate costumes, and complex staging. I imagine you can name some of the most involved, lavish productions, which continue to be popular today.
The next evolution saw the emergence of cabaret and vaudeville (1800s–1930s), short-form theatrical acts with music, comedy, and dancing. Early cabaret influenced later punk cabaret and burlesque revivals. In turn, some of the flamboyance transferred to rock and pop music performers from the 1950s and onward—think of the gyrations of Little Richard and Elvis. The Who and Jimi Hendrix smashed guitars and created other spectacles during their performances. David Bowie, Alice Cooper, and Kiss formalized rock theater. The list goes on—however, LTATM focuses on independent artists, so let’s talk about that.
Theatre in the Independent Music Industry
I used to be part of a group known as the Super Geek League (SGL). We were billed as an “epic sci-fi punk circus.” SGL featured a nine-piece band plus stilt-walkers, cabaret dancers, SCI-fi FX, confetti cannons, crowd-surf pillow fights, and audience interaction. The League performed for years until debanding in 2001; I was their jester for three of those years.
Have any of you heard of the Fabulous Downey Brothers? They are an award-winning six-piece known for their high-energy performance, theatrical flairs, and bizarre visuals which lends comparisons to Devo, the B-52s, and Oingo Boingo. The Brothers call their act “ART.”
The two examples above are multi-performer groups, but what about solo artists like Giselle of FATAL Butterly? Some searching brought up Emilie Autumn; she tends toward “Gothic industrial cabaret.” Emilie performs as a Victorian asylum inmate, complete with corsets, bloody props, violin battles, and elaborate sets. Her whole show is built around the theme, “Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls.”
Then there's a personal friend of mine, S.J. Trucker. S.J. is a fully independent myth-folk artist who books her own shows and handles all merch and promotions. S.J. is the most inspiring musician I have ever known and I love watching her perform on stage. I haven’t seen S.J. for a while, but whenever I do, I just adore her. She certainly doesn’t need a big machine behind her to entertain her audience!
Spin Back to FATAL Butterfly
My historical review shows that theatrical performances incorporating music started centuries ago and continues strong today, including in the indie scene. Giselle’s FATAL Butterfly isn’t breaking entirely new ground—she is carrying on the flaming torch of the past with every tap tapped, each costume changed, and every song sung. Giselle books her own shows, handles all her merch, and promotes her act, carrying on a tradition that started back in Ancient Greece and Rome.
In short: the concept of theatrical performance in music isn’t new—it’s a centuries-old tradition of merging sound, costume, movement, and story to create immersive experiences. Today’s artists are continuing a tradition that spans from Greek choruses to rock arenas.
Next time you spot one of Giselle’s upcoming shows, do yourself a favor and go enjoy the art of theatrical performing.
She has a gig coming up on August 10th, 2025, at the Mini Summer Fest in Seattle, starting at 4 p.m.
Seattle MiniFest Promo
YouTube Channel
Giselle with her Triplets sons
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