Live Review: 16 Lovers Lane Tribute @ QPAC, Brisbane

There’s a slight sense of deja vu as we assemble at the stately QPAC to pay homage to The Go-Betweens’ seminal sixth album 16 Lovers Lane, some eight years since the project was first unfurled in the same location as part of the Queensland Music Festival. 

Enough water has gone under the bridge to not dampen enthusiasm for such a parochial project, the album which didn’t make seismic impact upon its initial release in 1988 – straggling into the Top 50 and peaking at #48 – now regarded as one of the finest artistic statements ever to emanate from this state (and indeed, this country).

There’s an immediate warm response as the lights dim and tonight’s band files out onto the stage, the three members of The Go-Betweens who actually played on 16 Lovers Lane – Lindy Morrison, Amanda Brown and John Willsteed – joined by Dan Kelly, Danny Widdicombe, Luke Peacock and a revolving cast of guest Queensland vocalists to fill the big boots of singer-songwriters Robert Forster and Grant McLennan.

From the get-go Morrison holds court from the drum riser, introducing Regurgitator bassist Ben Ely who opens proceedings with an impassioned rendition of album opener Love Goes On, the black-clad singer stalking the stage and exhorting the audience to get involved, clearly revelling in the chance to be involved in such a special occasion. 

He passes the baton to an elegant Megan Washington who takes the vocal reins for Quiet Heart, the band locking in early and showing perfect restraint amidst the song’s simple majesty, Darren Hanlon getting a hero’s reception as he wanders into the fray midway through to add flourishes of harmonica.

There’s some shuffling of positions as Kelly grabs an acoustic and moves from stage right to centre of proceedings to sing the gorgeous Love Is A Sign, local musician Seja Vogel taking bass duties (for the first time ever onstage as it later transpires), while Hanlon returns again – to an equally rousing reception – this time throwing his harmonica into the front row at the song’s conclusion (later apologising for the unhygienic nature of his action).

Vogel takes the microphone – introduced by Kelly as the “chanteuse of Stones Corner” and “the angel of Moorooka” – for a beautiful rendition of You Can’t Say No Forever, after which multi-instrumentalist Brown moves from stage left into the spotlight for an incredibly moving version of The Devil’s Eye. 

Originally penned about her back in the day by the much-missed McLennan as the pair navigated the early throes of their passionate love affair – she states poignantly at the outset, “Grant sung it once for me, and now I sing it for him.” The slight fragility of her delivery suits the wistful tone perfectly, augmented by Kelly’s empathetic backing vocals. 

Rising indie-pop artist Jam Cassar-Daley gets the distinct honour of delivering the timeless Streets Of Your Town – Kelly introducing the song by noting Willsteed’s pivotal but “anti-punk” acoustic guitar solo – the young singer rising to the occasion while four guitars and a bass shimmer in harmony behind her.

A stunningly-attired Patience Hodgson (of The Grates fame) simply radiates joy as she joins the fray to deliver Clouds, pouring her heart into proceedings and dragging the song towards Fleetwood Mac territory as she helps transform this underrated album moment into a genuine show-stopper. 

Hodgson next introduces Eamon Sandwith (usually found out front of garage-punks The Chats). the laidback frontman making no concessions to grandeur in his flannel shirt and jeans combo but grabbing an acoustic and offering a wonderfully cool rendition of Was There Anything I Could Do? in his own laconic fashion, this dichotomy between street smarts and sophistication proving memorable as he weaves between Brown’s distinctive and expressive violin lines. 

Custard frontman Dave McCormack has been a vociferous upholder of The Go-Betweens legacy for decades – even playing in Forster’s solo backing band in the early-‘90s – and he looks thrilled to be involved as he offers a teasingly irreverent version of I’m Alright, debonair and daggy in equal doses. 

Hanlon returns to the fray, this time grabbing the microphone to deliver 16 Lovers Lane’s poignant closer Dive For Your Memory. As he does, he talks humbly about living in the vast shadow cast by The Go-Betweens as an aspiring musician in Gympie, and how he’d once claimed to have written this very song after performing it at a school function – channelling Forster’s mood of pride-tinged regret perfectly to conclude the first part of tonight’s proceedings.

After a brief intermission, and freed from the shackles of recreating such a milestone album, things become a little more laidback as the ensemble dives deep into The Go-Betweens’ inimitable canon. 

McCormack inches closer towards zany showman mode as he imparts his take on B-side Rock’N’Roll Friend, before Vogel delivers a stunning interpretation of The Clarke Sisters (from 1987’s fifth album Tallulah) while Brown’s washes of haunting violin create a genuine atmosphere. Brown changes over to oboe as Ely returns to run through the timeless Bye Bye Pride, again giving his all and trying valiantly to boost the besotted crowd’s energy levels.

Sandwith returns to the stage, this time sans guitar, offering another Tallulah song in the form of The House That Jack Kerouac Built, the highbrow imagery of the lyrics clashing with the slightly rough-edged delivery to conjure something slightly wonky but somehow quintessentially Queensland, resulting in one of the night’s most visceral moments.

Morrison is still directing proceedings from behind her drum kit – both during the songs as she adds her distinctive rhythms, and during breaks with her commanding presence – the icon professing Twin Layers Of Lightning to be her “favourite song” as Vogel eases behind the keys allowing Peacock to take the microphone, the latter strolling around the stage as he delivers a perfect interpretation of the older classic.

Hanlon and Vogel join forces for a beautiful rendition of Queensland staple Cattle & Cane, before Cassar-Daley comes back out and takes the reins for a stunning take on Apology Accepted, Widdicombe adding a country lilt on the steel guitar while the young singer delivers McLennan’s tract of pain and confusion with a world-weariness belying her age.

The night ends with Hodgson delivering a version of Spring Rain in the spirit of a Grates gig circa 2005, whirling around the stage like a dervish as she fully inhabits and delights in the song’s tempos and melodies, a perfectly exuberant conclusion to a night filled with joy and nostalgia for this music that so clearly still means so much to so many. 

As the entire ensemble returns to the stage and takes a well-deserved group bow there’s so much love in the room, seemingly split right down the middle between an appreciation of the younger protagonists in their halcyon days, as well as to this current production for allowing us the opportunity to traipse back in time to pay our respects to that incredible body of work. 

Here’s to The Go-Betweens – gone, but thankfully never forgotten.