THE GO-BETWEENS
London Shepherds Bush Empire 25th October 2000

The Go-Betweens win a dubious personal award from myself in that they are the band I have gone longest between seeing them live. My last encounter with them was at their support slot with REM in Dublin in June 1989. It's fair to say that the interval was largely their own fault, as Forster and McLennan pursued solo careers which had even less success than their critically lauded band.
However, they've now put their differences behind them and have returned with a very fine new album 'The Friends of Rachel Worth', a world tour and a back catalogue to play that many bands would kill for.
As if to prove that they're not shy of the old material the begin with 'Your Turn, My Turn' which is very old indeed! Robert Forster is the visually dominant half of the duo with a very distinctive yellow and red check suit, while Grant McLennan is the ordinary bloke in his jeans and T-shirt. It's difficult sometimes to see how they got together but they work so well together - Grant with his catchy melodies and Robert with his dry wit complementing each other perfectly. The show is a bit of a celebration and at times is actually quite moving. Especially if you're sad like me and grew up listening to these songs on your own, and now you can hear them being appreciated by a crowd of 2000 people.
Emotional bit over, you want to know what they played? A mix of old and new really. The best material from the new album ('He Lives My Life', 'Going Blind', 'Spirit') and lots of all-time classics. 'Bachelor Kisses' and 'Headful of Steam' are two definite highlights, so is 'Bye Bye Pride', even though it was stripped of its customary oboe solo. Forster dallies with the stage curtain during an acoustic version of 'Danger in the Past', and the beautiful Patti Smith tribute 'When She Sang About Angels' and the always great 'Apology Accepted' keep the crowd happy at encore. One of the most enjoyable gigs of the year, and not a guitar solo in sight. Genius.
(9/10)
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