Australian Bridge Named After Go-Betweens

Posted on Oct 5th 2009 7:04AM by Stephen Dowling
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It's not often a band finds its name transferring into the world of architecture. Only the most famous of pop's figures -- Beatle John Lennon, for instance -- usually find their moniker on solid concrete and steel.

A round of applause, then, to the good burghers of Brisbane, Australia, who named the city's latest bridge over the Brisbane River the Go-Between Bridge, in honour of indie band the Go-Betweens, who hailed from the Queensland city -- and a band who were more an enduring cult than a roaring international success.

The name was one of 11 put forward in an online poll asking the public to name the four-lane crossing.

The Go-Betweens, formed around the songwriting duo of Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, released well-regarded six album during the 1980s which contained such a raft of classic songs that more than one rock critic has wondered why they were never household names. They were also a formative influence on the likes of Belle and Sebastian.
After Forster and McLennan put the band on ice for respective solo careers during the 1990s, the Go-Betweens reconvened in 2000 for three more albums -- a reformation tragically ended when McLennan died of a heart attack in 2006.

The city's newspaper the Courier-Mail, however, has poured some cold water on the naming, asking its readers whether the name is suitable. A resounding 81% of the more than 3,000 respondents said no. Clearly not '16 Lovers Lane' fans, it would seem.