Robert Forster

Born in Brisbane, Queensland, Robert Forster first came to prominence in the late 1970s with The Go-Betweens, the band he formed in 1977 with Grant McLennan, sharing in its songwriting and vocals. In this frame, as in his solo work, Forster develops a writing style that sits between melodic pop, indie rock, folk rock and country inflections, with a taste for narrative songs, spare arrangements and an often detached diction. After the Go-Betweens’ initial breakup in 1989, he settled in Germany and began a personal path with Danger in the Past in 1990, followed by Calling from a Country Phone in 1993, I Had a New York Girlfriend in 1995, a covers album, then Warm Nights in 1996. His path crosses notably with Mick Harvey, Edwyn Collins, as well as several musicians from his Australian and European circles. The Go-Betweens reformed from 2000 to 2006 for three additional albums before Grant McLennan’s death. Robert Forster then resumed his solo career with The Evangelist in 2008, Songs to Play in 2015, Inferno in 2019 and The Candle and the Flame in 2023. Parallel to the stage and to records, Forster also pursues work as a music critic and author, extending in writing the same attention to short forms and to the observation of daily life.