Support act Jen Cloher has often been seen clutching an electric guitar of late, but tonight she was in acoustic mode. This brought the alt-country leanings of her songwriting to the fore, and it’s this guise that perhaps suits her the best. Cloher’s strong, beautiful voice did justice to songs from across her releases, as well as a fine cover of Gillian Welch’s Everything Is Free.
There’s a long list of nouns and adjectives that could be used to describe Robert Forster. Elegant, witty, fiercely intelligent, consummate dandy, icon. While he’s not quite an imposing personality, he’s left an indelible mark on Australian popular culture since rising to prominence with The Go-Betweens at the tail end of the 1970s.
Walking onstage with a wry smile, polite wave and dressed in a crisp suit, Forster addressed the audience as a group of old friends, clearly confident in his purpose but hinting at a little mischief with his strut. “It’s good to see you,” he deadpanned. “We are looking forward to playing some songs.” Guitarist Luke McDonald then dutifully led the band into Learn To Burn, the opening track of the new album, Songs To Play.
Forster has said this latest collection of songs is typified by a playfulness, ensuring they’re enjoyable to perform. This could be a reaction to the experience of touring his previous album, The Evangelist, which dealt with the death of former bandmate Grant McLennan in 2007. Consequently, it was no surprise to find the songs worked just as well live as they do on record, particularly because the musicians featured on this tour are also those featured on the album.
Go-Betweens classics were peppered throughout the set and predictably garnered some of the largest crowd responses. The entire audience raised its voice for Clouds and Head Full of Steam, the latter’s jangly pop contrasting with the more restrained nature of the recent material. A Poet Walks, from the new album, was perhaps the set highlight, revealing itself to be a perfect piece of concise pop mastery.
Returning for an encore of Danger In the Past, the title track from his 1990 solo debut, Forster abandoned the acoustic guitar and instead worked the crowd with a microphone in his hand. Heaping on the melodrama, Forster crooned to the room while the band played an understated boogie behind him. It was interesting to note the small cues he threw from behind his back, with a thumbs up and an index finer to signal a quiet explosion of noise at the climax.
In typical fashion, Forster interrupted his own goodnight wishes with a reading recommendation: William Finnegan’s Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life. “I’m up to about page 80, it’s great,” which also served as introduction to the set’s conclusion, a large sing-along on Surfing Magazines.
BY ALEX WATTS
Loved: A Poet Walks.
Hated: University.
Drank: Melbourne Bitter.
