How The Go-Betweens’ singer-songwriter Robert Forster found his rhythm in the Bavarian town of Regensburg

On the far eastern fringes of Germany’s Bavaria, Regensburg is a fair way from Brisbane — the city where indie rock band The Go-Betweens formed in 1977 and a place that long-shaped so much of their output.

Still, it was Germany where the band’s singer-songwriter Robert Forster would settle for an extended period, and a city that offered refuge following the band’s 1988 disbandment just as they were finding UK interest on the back of song Streets Of Your Town.

Ahead of launching of his new book, Songwriters On The Run, at next month’s Melbourne Writer’s Festival, Foster revisits Regensburg — exploring the freedom it offered during an extended European adventure.

“My decision to move to Germany coincided with the break-up of my band The Go-Betweens to an extent. I left Brisbane for a small town outside of Regensburg at first, with my German wife Karin in mid 1989. It was a mere 25 minutes from the city centre and we stayed there until 1992 before we moved into city itself from 1997 to 2001. Regensburg is the only German city that wasn’t bombed during WW2 — completely intact and a 2000-year-old city made up of old-world medieval buildings. It’s on the Danube River and has a university which can enliven a town a great deal and it was certainly the case when I was there.

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Living in Regensburg gave me a sense of freedom. I’d always lived in capital cities — Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, London, and so suddenly, I was a long way away from any musical scene that I knew. I had to work it out by myself. I had friends in bands, and because my wife played in one, I got to know musicians. People had record shops — it wasn’t like I was completely unplugged, but it was a chance to find a new way.

Strangely enough, during my time in Regensburg, songwriter and band mate Grant McLennan (who died in 2006) and I started writing The Go-Between’s 7th album The Friends Of Rachel Worth in 2000. It was our return to the studio after a 12-year hiatus. Grant flew to Regensburg to work with me — so this German city played a part in us coming back together and that might not have happened if I’d just been knocking around in Brisbane.

The old town of Regensburg made the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2006. I’d left by then, but felt I got to immerse myself in a city before it became a spot to visit on a tourist map. It wasn’t well known in Germany because it’s located in the bottom corner of the country near the Czech border and an hour from the Austrian border. The UNESCO certification meant you suddenly had tourist boats going up and down the Danube and offloading people to walk the streets. The city cleaned up a lot, but when I was there it was quite gritty, dirty and felt more real.

For me, the fact our children were born there means it will always have that extra special meaning for us.

The Orphee Hotel (Regensburg) is a very good choice to stay. You’ll also find a French style restaurant and cafe within, and you’re in the middle of cobblestone alleyways which feels magical. It’s an institution and was the first sort of cafe that opened here in the late 1800s. Filmmaker Wim Wenders is a huge fan.

I spent a lot of time at Shadilac Records. It’s run by Franz Reinhardt who opened it in 1983. It’s located in an alleyway and a 50m walk from Orphee Cafe. It’s filled with classic second-hand records and was a hangout too. You could smoke, drink coffee and play records all day.

I loved walking on the Steinerne Brucke (Stone Bridge) in the city — one of Germany’s oldest preserved bridges. No cars can drive on it and you can watch the Danube go by under your feet.

My life really changed when I arrived in Regensburg, it was one of the first places I visited after Australia. I was around 30 years old, met a woman who I’d marry and we started our family. Regensburg felt like one chapter was closing and another starting. I was in this beautiful medieval city which had real meaning for me and came with a beautiful backdrop.

I’m 68 now and still have plenty of energy to travel which I am grateful for.”mfw.com.au