the go betweens

The Go-Betweens"i want to be Robert Forster, In rock and roll seventh heaven/ but the songs I write/ in the middle of the night/ all sound like Grant McClennan" - Smudge, "I dont want to be Grant McLennan"

Who?Recently reactivited Australian gems, you know, proper songs, proper guitars, proper heartache

Essential?The album Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express for a start. The song Head Full of Steam. Just the lines like "You tore my mail/ apart at the seams/ now you know: I live beyond my means"

In a nutshell, then:Boys in touch with their souls

Never mind the music, give us trivia:During the mid 1980's, Snipe fanzine pondered the possibilities of getting sponsored by Fosters, so enthuisiastic was its championing of Australian bands. The title's other great obsession was football, and - supposedly in order to spare music fans from yet more pieces on goal nets - a spin off was created. That was When Saturday Comes. The band, meanwhile, first shot to nano-fame with a love song to Lee Remick.

In more depth:
Google-betweens

An a to z
Most of the songs they ever made, in alpha-friendly format

Try these, too...Grant McClennan and Robert Forster's solo stuff
The Triffids
Husker Du, the same thing but louder
Suede
The Sugargliders
The Wedding Present, again