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     Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 18 Registered: 05-2005 |
The Sydney concert on Saturday night was the best I have seen The Go-Betweens play since their two reformation gigs in Dublin in 1997. They were astonishing. I had just spent 32 hours or so getting from my family home in Ireland to my home in Sydney and the concert was the best tonic for cutting through the jet lag fog. Does anyone remember if that reference to a London bomb was always there in Grant's Black Mule? It sounded like it was, but maybe it wasn't. He opened the show with a solo version of it. The thing that struck me most about the show - other than the superb re-working of Streets ("Don't let anybody tell you any different, this is about your town," said Grant) - was that I finally realised that this really is a different band to 80s Go-Betweens. Adele's bass is harder than they previously used and almost has a Peter Hook quality a lot of the time. And when a Pixies biopic is made she is a shoo-in for the Kim Deal part. Glenn is a shoo-in for the part of Anthony in a Wiggles bip-pic too. Draining The Pool For You was awesome. Two of the re-union songs I don't like very much on album - Surfing Magazines and Make Her Day - sounded brilliant live (thanks in no small part to the rhythm section). Surfing was dedicated to a host of Aussie surfing legends (I had to be informed of this though). Glenn's wave-type cymbal sounds on Surfing were great. I'm sure he has always played it that way but I never noticed before. Born to Family and Darlinghurst Nights were superb. Robert dedicated the latter to Clint. No Lavendar unfortunately. I've seen them play Lee Remick live, hopefully one day I will see them play Lavendar. The MC Lennan turn on Cattle And Cane was a bit strange, but I liked it. It helped to have been forewarned of it by our US brethren here. There were three encores, with People Say standing out. Wonderfully, the songs from the last three albums mostly held up in quality with those from the previous six. | ||
| David Matheson Member Username: David_matheson Post Number: 25 Registered: 12-2004 |
I really enjoyed the gig. The reference to a London street in Black Mule is a Beirut street in the original, but was very poignant given recent events. The version of Clouds with just Robert and Grant together was excellent. I thought the band played really well as a group, and seemed to be enjoying rocking it up on songs like Make Her Day. Robert said he was pleased to be playing Darlinghurst Nights in a place where people knew about Darlinghurst. There were some technical problems with Grant’s guitar during Too Much Of One Thing, and I seem to remember that they had technical problems with that song when they played the Metro a couple of years ago. I was also surprised at the way Grant walked around holding the microphone during Cattle and Cane, but it seemed to be effective. It was also great to see them do This Girl, Black Girl and People Say in the encore. Overall it was a good balance of older and more recent songs. Great gig. | ||
| Mark Leydon Member Username: Mark_leydon Post Number: 14 Registered: 05-2005 |
The band were terrific at the Metro on Saturday night. And I do mean band - what impresses me most about this incarnation of the Go-Betweens is how integral Adele and Glenn are to both the sound and personality of the band. I really believe that this is a line-up to rival the Foster/McLennan/Morrison/Vickers 4 piece of the 80s. Adele's bass playing and backing vocals were superb throughout. Glenn's drumming is never flashy but it serves the songs beautifully. They absolutely nailed the tricky bass-drum interplay on 'Born to a Family'. Foster and McLennan were their usual brilliant/quirky selves. But there is a real sense of urgency and rejuvenation about these guys compared to when I last saw them at the Metro a couple of years ago. I get the feeling they are genuinely excited about the quality of their new material. And so they should be. This show was as far from a nostalgia trip as it is possible to get. For my money the best songs of the night were all from the new album, particularly 'Here Comes A City' and 'Finding You' and 'Darlinghurst Nights' . What a thrill it is to find that one of my favourite bands from the 80's is hitting an artistic peak in 2005. Long live the Go-Betweens! | ||
| Todd Slater Member Username: Todd_slater Post Number: 12 Registered: 01-2005 |
Couldn't agree more with the above. Great gig. They are, as a band becoming more and more like really good, aged, fine and rare wine. That is much more enjoyable the older they get, gathering complexity and profound flavours !! Decanting recommended and the taste goes on forever. | ||
| jerry_h Member Username: Jerry_h Post Number: 4 Registered: 07-2005 |
Is that Australian or French Wine? | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 19 Registered: 05-2005 |
A South Australian Sparkling Rosé. Something from the Barossa Valley. Jacob’s Creek perhaps. | ||
| Rob Member Username: Rob Post Number: 35 Registered: 12-2004 |
Pádraig, we can do much better than that. Henschke Hill of Grace? | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 20 Registered: 05-2005 |
You've topped me there Rob. I had to look that one up on Google. I bow to no man in my liking for Sparkling Rosé though. | ||
| Roger Griffin Member Username: Roger Post Number: 22 Registered: 11-2004 |
I was very excited to see the whole band so unified and energetic. I agree particularly about Adele's superb work on Streets, giving it a robust sinewy quality it never had. I like her simpler take on "Shi-i-i-i-ine" as well. Highlight for me was definitely "Draining The Pool". A beautiful groove going that night and a great moment at the end, where a front row audience member chimed in with "Da-da-da-da-da.." after the last "right after this" and Robert latched on to it and brought it down to him and "just Grant now!". Just nice to see the old interaction thing, which always makes a GoB show for me. Darlinghurst Nights also brilliant. Low point was Grant's Australian Idol take on Cattle, with homey hand things. I really think showbiz comes more naturally to Robert, and Grant should allow this fine song to age gracefully. | ||
| Todd Slater Member Username: Todd_slater Post Number: 13 Registered: 01-2005 |
I was thinking more along the lines of Seppelt Show Reserve Sparkling Shiraz (86' a great year) Henschke Hill of Grace, or Grange Hermitage for Australian wine. Vintage Champagne for French & a classic Barolo from Italy. | ||
| Rob Member Username: Rob Post Number: 36 Registered: 12-2004 |
Good work Todd. Pádraig, your inexplicable liking for pink fizz reminds me of a romantic meeting I had in a Sydney bar a few years ago, when a girl I had plans for walked in looking a million dollars. She ordered a Jack Daniels ("with one ice cube") and turned to me looking for my choice. "That's a man's drink," I muttered. Then I put down my own mark of masculinity. "Campari and soda." | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 21 Registered: 05-2005 |
Hilarious Rob! Literally LOL! | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 22 Registered: 05-2005 |
My soft spot for pink fizz has a lot to do with the fact that I bought a bottle of it almost four years ago in preparation for the birth of my child, which was expected five days later. As it turned out, she was born five hours later. It was several weeks before the lovely liquor was quaffed though. It was joined by another three Australian sparklings and one Moet et Chandon on a memorable night. Lots of beer too. Getting up with baby 90 minutes after falling asleep was equally memorable. |