Live Review: 16 Lovers Lane

Without the messy preamble of fading lights or a rising curtain, The Go-Betweens casually make their way to the stage.  With a few extra musicians and a rotating roster of special guest singers, the band launch wildly into a front to back performance of the seminal 16 Lovers Lane.

Local legend Jen Cloher kicks things off with a rousing rendition of opener Love Goes On!, setting the bar high for the upcoming performers. From there, the lineup goes from strength to strength, as singer/songwriters from all walks of the local scene hit their mark. Rob Snarski of The Blackeyed Susans replicates the semi-straining on Quiet Heart with utter perfection. RVG’s Romy Vager brings her humongous vocals to life on Love Is A Sign. Then, the inimitable Dave Graney is par for his own, ridiculous course, as he titillates with stories of crossing paths with The Go-Betweens back in the day. Dressed like John Waters meets Al Capone, You Can’t Say No Forever gives Graney a chance to totally control the stage, working the room like the pro that he is.

It’s easy to assume that a show like this would feel empty with the absence of frontman Robert Forster, but in truth, it would fail spectacularly were it not for the rest of the band. John Willsteed’s bass fills resonate spectacularly throughout, Amanda Brown is a virtuoso at just about every instrument imaginable, and at 66 years old, Lindy Morrison is still a goddamn beast of a drummer. No matter who joins them onstage throughout the night, this is a Go-Betweens show.

Morrison takes centre stage and showcases her incredible vocals on The Devil's Eye before Laura Jean appears for a spectacular delivery of the band's biggest hit, Streets Of Your Town. If that weren’t enough, Paul Kelly suddenly arrives to slay Was There Anything I Could Do?, before handing the mic to current bandmate and nephew Dan Kelly for I’m Allright.

As the singers shuffle round and 16 Lovers Lane draws to a close, the band roll into a choice cut of even more Go-Betweens hits. Diving into a slew of crowd favourites, Oh Mercy frontman Alex Gow emerges for the epic Cattle And Cane before the elder Kelly returns to close out the show with Spring Rain.

With a total of 14 performers gracing the stage, somehow 16 Lovers Lane is still greater than the sum of its parts. The pure, unadulterated adoration that emanates from both the guest performers and the band themselves is palpable. As the extended Go-Betweens exit the stage, the audience rise in uproarious applause, euphoric for the once in a lifetime spectacle that has just concluded before them.