The Underground of Happiness

I went to see Robert Forster a couple of weeks ago. It was the fifth time I’d seen him in the flesh. There was the first time in The Mean Fiddler in Dublin in late 1996 around the time of the Warm nights album. I love that album and the gig was a great upbeat joyous occasion. The next time was in the same venue about 9 months later, in June 1997. It was the same rhythm section from the 1996 solo gig (Adele Pickvance and Glenn Thompson) with Grant McLennan added, The Go Betweens reunion tour. There was a kind of gospel service atmosphere in the packed room. A palpable air of expectation. When they came on stage the emotion was hard to take. By the time they finished the first song (I can’t remember what it was now), I was in tears. In fact, I felt like I could leave satisfied at that point. Something in me had been fulfilled, already, within the space of a few minutes. You see, I became a fan of The Go Betweens after they broke up so I’d never seen them play live before. B...

I know, I know, it's February, leave 2015 alone. But some things are too good to let lie. So another mini list, four great albums from last year. Get them into your life. ******************************************************************************** Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood & The Rajasthan Express – Junun (Nonesuch) A thrilling cross cultural project involving the Israeli singer and composer Shye Ben Tzur, Radioheader and composer in his own right Jonny Greenwood and a bunch of fantastic musicians from Rajasthan in India (the making of the album was also documented by Paul Thomas Anderson in the film of the same name released last year). Who contributes what can get a bit fuzzy at times (the sign of a true collaboration, perhaps) but the guttural, percussive vocals of Ben Tzur in Hebrew are a joy, Greenwood’s electronic interventions intrigue and the brass and string and mass vocals of the Express uplift and entrance. Fantastic and playing at the Barbic...

As you know, Robert Forster was a founder member of The Go Betweens with Grant McLennan in Brisbane . Together they released 6 albums of literate off kilter pop music in the 1980s. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) they did not make the commercial breakthrough achieved by other indie bands of the time like The Smiths and REM. The prevailing consensus goes that McLennan had the better melodies and singing voice but that Forster had the spikier lyrical talent. (McLennan’s style had a more poetic, and often nostalgic, quality.) The band broke up in 1989 and the two songwriters embarked on solo careers. They reformed in 1997, initially to tour, and subsequently recorded three further albums together until Grant McLennan’s untimely death in 2006. Robert Forster then released The Evangelist in 2008, a solo album but which included three songs of Grant’s, so it’s thought of as a de facto Go Betweens album by many. Not surprisingly, most of the reviews so far have painted this first re...

I did a Best of 2015 Mid Year round up last month, about 1 hour of my favourite music of the year so far. Obviously there was no way I could fit everything I liked into 1 hour – I could easily have filled another hour or two. This song would certainly have made the 2nd hour, the lead track from the new album by Brisbane band Blank Realm , Illegals in heaven , amazingly their 10th by my count. I say amazingly because I only heard of the band for the first time last year. It’s not every day a “new” band with an 8/9 album back catalogue comes on your radar. And for that thanks to Fire Records who are bringing them out this side of the world, following previous outings on other esteemed labels Not Not Fun and Bedroom Suck . Anyway, Blank Realm explore various strands of psych rock - motorik rhythms, jagged thrashing or chiming heart-piercing guitars and compelling semi-tuneful vocals by brother and sister Sarah and Daniel Spencer ( Everett True calls the vocals no wave and I can’...

I had the huge pleasure of seeing Future Islands play live in Dublin last weekend - they finished their show with the fantastic 'Tin man', I've started mine with it. Sleaford Mods too, touring Ireland next month, and putting some vicious vim and bounce back into protest songs. The Go Betweens sounding sunny and carefree from 1979. Fellow Aussies Twerps sounding similarly endearing. Another ghostly, late-night folk creation from Kemper Norton and Chloe March with glorious dream pop, perhaps with a debt to Ryuichi Sakamoto. Mid-section of the show, three crooners of the highest order; Liam Hayes (Plush), back with a new album in January, Rumer with a voice like velvet and Harry Nilsson making desire and longing sound absolutely gut-wrenching. Plus Merchandise , bringing a wonderful white soul vocal to slinky rock guitar songs. More on these pages as always. Nov 4 2014 w/ Future Islands,Sleaford Mods,Go Betweens,Twerps,Jennifer Castle,Merchandise++ b...

Back in the days when Comet Records existed in Cork , I got into The Go-Betweens (Comet later became Plugd , which has now moved around the corner from Washington Street to the Triskel Arts Centre building). In those days, Comet used to sell Beggars Banquet releases on cassette for a fiver - and in those Walkman days, cassettes were my medium of choice. And so I found The Go-Betweens: 1978-1990 . I was vaguely aware of the band - I think I had heard Bachelor kisses on Dave Fanning's radio show a few times during the 80's. But I didn't own anything by the band. Of course, typical me, to become interested in the band after they'd broken up (in fact, both Grant McLennan and Robert Forster had released their first solo efforts by this time). I think it was the sleevenotes that sold me on it. Each song had a short note from either Grant or Robert. Like this one by Grant, for Bye bye pride - Cairns is a lazy, small town full of boats and cane fields. It is also unbea...