Setlist:
Your Turn, My Turn
Spirit
Magic In Here
Head Full of Steam
Baby Stones
Streets of Your Town
Orpheus Beach
Draining The Pool For You
Going Blind
German Farmhouse ("That should have been played much faster" - Robert)
He Lives My Life
Bye Bye Pride
The Clock
Spring Rain ("this song has the most difficult intro in the history of rock
and roll")
--
When She Sang About Angels
(Grant and Robert swap guitars - "You know we are true musicians if we can
swap guitars")
Bachelor Kisses
Easy Come Easy Go
--
Rock And Roll Friend
Don't Let Him Come Back
--
Apology Accepted ("Does anyone know the first line of the second verse of
'Apology Accepted'?" - Robert)
Pictures from the Glasgow show: high res or low res
24 hours and (I would walk) 500 miles later and barely the energy to tap the keyboard. So excuse me if this looks tired... and this mail includes setlist, etc, so those of you who are going to any of the gigs and want surprises should look away now.
No support act at King Tut's, and sometimes that's the best way. No rushing to beat the curfew, and time to chat and get settled with a pint.
Time for the show. With little ceremony the band wandered on stage, picked up their gear and played. Some familiar chords, a familiar rhythm, but something unexpected - "Your Turn, My Turn", the opening track off the first Go-Betweens album. You wouldn't have put money on them starting with that little gem, but it was perfect.
And then on into a set comprising a nice mix of songs from the new album and a good selection of oldies.
The new songs sounded very good: Grant's songs particularly benefitting from nice backing vocals from bass-player Adele, and, on occasion, drummer Mattheus; they also did a fine job on "Rock and Roll Friend" (allegedly unrehearsed, according to Robert) and others of Robert's rockier moments.
"Don't Let Him Come Back" was a nice surprise in the encores, too. Other highlights: a big cheer from the very enthusiastic crowd after the line "what a shame it wasn't about Tom Verlaine" in "When She Sang About Angels", and the soccer-terrace chant of "Go-Betweens, Go-Betweens..." as they came back for the final encore, to the obvious pleasure (and bemusement) of the band.
Fashion notes: Robert in the previously-reported stripy red suit; Grant in traditional T.
Thanks to Nicola for the driving, and to the A-team for the company.
Time for my cocoa.
Jonathan