The Church : New album March 2009

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Steve Kilbey in a Tux! :ohmy:

SKintuxsept2009.jpg


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He does clean up well!

This was at the Kilbey/Kennedy "unseen words, unheard music" album launch.

link to the photographer's (mandy-pixel/Mandy Hall) Flickr's page.
 
A link to Martin Kennedy's blog for a few more shots. Scroll down and check out some of MK's "Adventures in Kilbeyland" comic panels. Some are really cute. :)
 
Australian tour dates. :)

Nov 28th THE ZOO, Brisbane QLD
Support: astreetlightsong

Dec 4th THE GOVERNOR HOTEL, Adelaide SA
Support: astreetlightsong

Dec 5th THE CORNER HOTEL, Melbourne VIC
Support: The Kicks/astreetlightsong

Dec 9th LIZOTTES, Kincumber, Central Coast NSW (Acoustic)
Support: Mark Moldre

Dec 10th LIZOTTES, Newcastle NSW (Acoustic)
Support: Mark Moldre

Dec 11th LIZOTTES, Newcastle (Acoustic)
Support: Mark Moldre

Dec 12th THE FACTORY THEATRE, Sydney NSW
Support: The Kicks

Dec 17th QUARRY AMPITHEATRE, Perth WA (SOLD OUT) Support: Day of the Dead

Dec 18th QUARRY AMPITHEATRE, Perth WA
Support: Day of the Dead
 
The churchlings are touring again, so here's an interview with Steve in Time Off magazine.

HOLY LONGEVITY, BATMAN

SINCE THEIR HUMBLE BEGINNINGS IN CANBERRA’S 1980s NEW WAVE SCENE, THROUGH LINE-UP AND DIRECTION CHANGES, THE CHURCH HAVE MANAGED TO KEEP A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS. SINGER-SONGWRITER AND BASS GUITARIST STEVE KILBEY CHATS TO MITCH KNOX ABOUT STAYING FRESH THREE DECADES AFTER BEING UNLEASHED ON THE WORLD.

If you’ve ever tried your hand at creative writing – in any format – you’ll understand how hard it can be to come up with consistently good ideas. So to look at a band like The Church, who have been steadily pumping out evocative and chameleonic music for the better part of thirty years, is to look at a band with a secret; some kind of sonic fountain of youth. Surely the proof is in the pudding: the band released their 23rd chronological release (and 20th full-length) earlier this year, Untitled #23, to widespread critical and audience acclaim, showing no signs of being an act old enough to have fathered some of you. But lead singer/bassist Steve Kilbey maintains they approached Untitled #23 like they do all their albums. After all, there’s not really a secret – or if there is, he’s not too sure what it is.

“We’re never focused,” he says. “We’re never sitting there like one unit, going, ‘Let’s do this’, and everyone going, ‘Yeah’. It’s pretty much, like, whatever’s going on at the time; people going through their different individual musical phases. I don’t know what the other guys are listening to; I don’t know what kind of album they wanted to make. So I guess we just randomly apply our process of writing and we never know what we’re going to come up with, and I guess we accidentally came up with this one this time, which people seem to like.

“I wish I knew what [our secret] was, so we could do it next time, because next time we’re all going to be arguing about how to do it again, and first of all, no-one will be able to agree on how we did it, and no-one will even be able to agree to what we actually had done in the first place. I think when we finish a record everybody sees it differently.”

What caught Kilbey off-guard about Untitled #23’s release was not so much everyone in the band having different perceptions of the album, but rather that the audience saw it very differently to him.

“I’m a bit like a parent who wasn’t that impressed with his child, and then the child went out into the world and did well and suddenly I was like, ‘Yes, well, I always knew he’d be a good boy’,” he says. “I am, seriously. I didn’t have that high hopes for this album. I thought it was... I don’t know. I don’t know how I felt towards it; kind of a bit indifferent. Then, when it did kind of well, I changed my opinion. I had to.

“I thought we were banging against a wall and I thought it didn’t really matter what we would do that people would kind of… for a long time now, we’ve been getting reviews that say, ‘Oh yeah, another good album from The Church. Next!’ You know? So I felt like, well, we’ve made another kind of good album, and people will say the same thing, and I was a bit resigned, I guess. I was kind of surprised when people noticed it.”

But notice it people did, and it wasn’t long until the band launched their So Love May Find Us Tour earlier this year – which included a trip through the United States and Canada – and now the band is returning to our shores to complete their tour.

“I think it’s going to be pretty good,” Kilbey admits. “Tickets are selling quite well in the cities, and Perth’s already sold out – two nights in Perth – so I think it’s going to be a good show. We have to figure out what we’re going to play yet, but I think it’s going to be good.

“[Expect] a lot more intensity than you probably think you’re going to get. We’ve become very intense. We’re really rockin’ these days. We’re really loud. We’re quite brash. We’re going to do a lot of songs off our new album, and we’ll do a smattering of old and mid-period stuff.”

To coincide with the tour, the band are unveiling three additional releases: a four-track EP, which boasts a near-50 minute runtime and was recorded during the Untitled #23 sessions, and two re-issues – a remastering of Shriek: Excerpts From The Soundtrack, on which the band collaborated with American sci-fi author Jeff VanderMeer, and a reissue of Back With Two Beasts, an album originally released in 2005 in online digital format.

Says Kilbey of the EP’s unusually long duration, “Yeah, I think there’s a 36-minute long instrumental track on it, that’s why you’ll find that enormous length. “I didn’t have 36 minutes spare to listen to it, so I don’t know what it is. 36 minutes in a day, that’s a big chunk of your day. That’s like 1/48th of your whole day to hand over to listen to some bunch of geezers having a jam.”

To hear one of Australia’s music legends speak so derisively of himself is jarring, but Kilbey insists he and his bandmates are not over the hill yet.

“I think potentially we could go on and still make some very, very good records. Age shall not weary us the way it has wearied other bands,” he says. “But what we have to fight off is that thing that hits middle-aged and elderly people, of sort of just going through the showbiz kind of motions, and The Church is really determined not to do that. Well, we haven’t so far, and I’m kind of onto it. I’m onto it.

“And every time it creeps in, I try and do something about it. We can’t help getting old, but we can help becoming that old, stupid thing, where we’re like a parody… But obviously as institutions and individuals and even civilisations grow old, they tend to become corrupt or dry or they crumble or they can burn or they can become arrogant; it’s hard to resist all these impulses and cheat the machine, kind of. At least I’m aware of the syndrome, and I will be battling it.”

But at the end of it all, regardless of what lies ahead, Kilbey remains pretty thankful for all that’s gone by.

“You know, I wish I was a few rungs further up the ladder. I wish I was richer and more successful, and younger, and had a nicer car, and all that,” he says. “But on the other hand, I know a lot of geezers that started playing guitar at the same time as me, and now they’ve got really boring day jobs, and I get to stay at home and not do very much except make music.

“Whatever happens, I’ve kind of had a good run. I can’t deny that. I have had a good run. For 30 years, I’ve eked a living out of showbiz. Even if it stopped tomorrow, and I had to go and get a job in the post office as one of my relatives recently suggested to me – said I’d be a good postie, and I thought, well, okay – I have made 30 years out of strumming a guitar. You can’t be too bitter about that.”

link

"get a job in the post office as one of my relatives recently suggested to me – said I’d be a good postie"

:lol:

He would probably look cute in the shorts. :)


I love the "We're never focused" line. And the bit about all sitting around next time arguing about exactly what they did this time around. I love that they are always winging it. :lol:
 
The Church: This is not our city

THE City of Churches has never been in love with The Church.

That’s according to vocalist/bassist Steve Kilbey, who says he always enjoys visiting but never expects a huge welcome.

``Adelaide’s never made up its mind on The Church,’’ Kilbey says.

``Even when we were big, Adelaide was never crazy on us. They’ve never really bought it hook, line and sinker. We could be in Melbourne and they’d be going nuts and the next night we’d be in Adelaide and they’d be like `er, yeah, it’s The Church’. It’s funny, isn’t it.

``I think for our Adelaide concert we’ve sold 200 tickets and in Perth we’ve sold out two nights, which is like 1200.’’

The anomaly even applies to The Church’s most recent release, Untitled #23, which garnered rave reviews across the board except for one particular spot.

``At one stage on the (US) tour we got 100 reviews, a big folder of reviews came through, and I asked `are there any bad reviews?’ and they said `there’s one’. I asked `where’s it from?’ and they said `it’s from Adelaide’.

``The guy in Adelaide said `oh, you know, The Church, more boring stuff, same old thing, does anyone care any more?’. He got it wrong. I hope I meet up with him some day.’’

Regardless of Adelaide’s cold shoulder, The Church is currently on a roll, having toured the US and Canada earlier in the year in the afterglow of strong reviews for Untitled #23.

``One critic I can’t remember if it was in Chicago or Milwaukee said it was the in the trilogy of the three greatest albums of all time with Sgt Pepper and Dark Side of the Moon, which is so excessive it’s not even flattering, it’s in the realms of fantasy. Generally speaking, most of the reviews were glowing. Most of the people have been saying it’s a contender for album of the year.

``They all agreed that it was our best album ever or at least our best album for a long time. It’s been like pretty ecstatic, glowing reviews.’’

When quizzed on the special bond he shares with guitarists Marty Willson-Piper and Peter Koppes who formed the band with Kilbey in 1980 along with ``new boy’’ drummer Tim Powles (``he’s only been in the band for 16 years’’), he balks at the mention of ``camaraderie’’.

``I think that’s stretching it. We have a working relationship, we like playing music together.’’


:tsk: :tsk: Naughty, naughty Adelaide. :tsk: :shame:

You know for a band that doesn't like each other all that well, they've done pretty well staying together. :)
 
Wow, we really suck!!! :ohmy: And in my case I really do suck, seeing as how I um, er, kinda missed the gig :reject: Still, reptile was there, he woulda made it 201....
 
Decent gig in Melbourne tonight. The Church themselves played well (not my ideal setlist at all but I enjoyed everything I heard apart from On Angel Street). Can't fault them much. You Took, Reptile, An Interlude, Myrrh, and Block were highlights for me. Especially You Took. Smashing Pumpkins cover was hilarious.

The crowd, on the other hand, blew. They ranged between apathetic and dull to rude and talkative, as if a band weren't even on stage. Really drained the atmosphere, and it didn't feel as if any particular energy permeated the venue at all. What a shame. I reckon The Church deserved better.

Loved some of the requests people yelled out. I got in on the act and called for Memories In Future Tense. Judging by what I've seen of The Church's static setlists, I'm not surprised none of them were paid. :wink:

(Though I bet the guy who called for Reptile right before they played it is feeling pretty good with himself. Or just already knew the band's setlist.)
 
:ohmy:


I don't think I really like the Corner anymore .. well, for Church gigs anyway. Seemed to be quite a few tools in the audience and drunk girls trying to push in front of me :angry: Still a very good show ..

Last nights gig at the Workers Club in Fitzroy was simply brilliant :hyper: :love: Axver shoulda come to this one instead. Such a brilliant vibe, very funny ... just wonderful all-round. So many good bits.

My favourite part was Marty yelling at us to stop giggling :hyper: :heart: and my sis yelled out for them to play living on a prayer :lol: Steve laughed and said he'll be john bon jovi, marty richie sambora and Peter .... err.. Heather Locklear :D


Going up to Newcastle and Sydney on Wednesday, and very much looking forward to another acoustic show, if it's anything like the Melbourne one!!!!
 
Spoke to reptile yesterday, he said Adelaide's gig was one of the best Church gigs he's ever seen. The band gelled like he hadn't seen for some time. Even Steve was on top form!!!! :D
 
Yikes! I kind of missed this thread! I'm just heading for bed, but wanted to post a link to these pics from the Corner gig:

Click here
 
Looks as if the church will be touring the US in April (and possibly part of May). It looks as if it's going to be an acoustic tour (they seem to be alternating acoustic and electric tours -- 2002 acoustic; 2004 electric; 2006 acoustic; 2009 electric). Based on the shows I saw in 2006 their acoustic gigs are anything but wussy though.

I've found a couple dates online so far:

April 2 -- The Coach House --San Juan Capistrano

April 24 -- Sellersville Theatre 1894 -- Sellersville, PA

I'll be on the lookout for more and when I find them I'll post.


I was actually hoping they would tour later in the year as this could be a tricky time for me. Oh well.
 
It's not up on the venue website yet, but on pollstar.com the church is scheduled to be at City Winery in NYC on April 22.
 
A couple more US tour dates:

April 8 -- Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR

April 23 -- YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, Bay Shore, NY



And this little blurb from one of the venue sites sounds interesting:

After three decades together, the church return to North America for a special 30th anniversary acoustic tour throughout April and May 2010.

“An Intimate Space” will include songs that span the length of the church’s epic creative trip from their debut in 1980 to their latest critically acclaimed 2009 album Untitled # 23. In a unique and unusual execution, the band will choose one song from each of their considerable album releases and perform them in reverse chronological order. This original show will have the fans gliding softly down through the years, opening with a track from their latest album Untitled #23 before embarking on a fantastic voyage through time ultimately arriving at their first Australian album Of Skins And Heart where it all began. This engaging and rare performance is not to be missed.

FREE CD

Every ticket holder will receive a free copy of Deadman’s Hand, the third EP from the Untitled #23 album. This EP will include the title track and unreleased tracks from the band’s secret vault, a must have for all church fans and collectors.
 
Here's a link to a kind of fun radio interview with Steve before last night's show.

There's an interesting little tidbit of info in the last 45 or so seconds. :)
 
The dates I've found online so far:

April 2 -- The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano, CA
April 5 -- The Roxy, West Hollywood, CA
April 6 -- Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
April 8 -- Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR
April 17 -- Winchester Tavern, Lakewood, OH
April 18 -- Magic Bag, Ferndale, MI
April 22 -- City Winery, NYC
April 23 -- YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, Bay Shore, NY
April 24 -- Sellersville Theatre 1894, Sellersville, PA
 
And yet another date:

April 25 -- The State Theatre, Falls Church, VA

:)
 
Here's the official announcement from the band. Looks as if there will still be a few dates yet announced, but this looks like most of it. The Cleveland, Ferndale, and Pittsburgh shows look the best bet for me, followed by the Sellersville, Falls Church, and Annapolis ones. Of course, what I would really love would be to start in Minnapolis and hit every remaining gig, but that just ain't gonna happen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the church
An Intimate Space 30th Anniversary
Nth American Tour 2010


After three decades together, the church return to North America for a
special 30th anniversary acoustic tour throughout April and May 2010. “An
Intimate Space” will include songs that span the length of the church’s
epic creative trip from their debut in 1980 to their latest critically
acclaimed 2009 album “Untitled # 23”.

In a unique and unusual execution, the band will choose one song from each
of their considerable album releases and perform them in reverse
chronological order. This original show will have the audience gliding
softly down through the years, opening with a track from “Untitled #23”
before embarking on a fantastic voyage through time ultimately arriving at
their first Australian album, “Of Skins And Heart” where it all began.

This engaging and rare performance is not to be missed.

FREE CD
To make these shows even more special, every ticket holder will receive a
free copy of “Deadman’s Hand”, the third EP from the “Untitled #23” album.
This EP will include the title track and unreleased tracks from the band’s
secret vault.
A must have.

Dates confirmed as follows with more to be added in the coming week…

the church
An Intimate Space 30th Anniversary
Nth American Tour 2010


APRIL
2 – San Juan Capistrano, CA – Coach House
4 – San Diego, CA – Anthology
5 – Los Angeles, CA – The Roxy
6 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
8 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
9 – Seattle, OR – The Showbox
13 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line Music Café
14 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre
15 – Chicago, IL – Park West
17 – Cleveland, OH – The Winchester Tavern and Music Hall
18 – Ferndale, MI – The Magic Bag Theatre
19 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Café
21 – Boston, MA - TBC
22 – NYC – City Winery
23 – Bay Shore, NY (Long Island) - Boulton Center for the Performing Arts
24 – Sellersville, PA (Philadelphia) - Sellersville Theatre
25 – Falls Church, VA (DC) - State Theatre
27 – Annapolis, MD – Rams Head On Stage

MAY
1 – Atlanta, GA – Center Stage

Stay tuned to our official websites for further updates and venue and
ticket details. Further gigs will also be sent out via this mailing list.
 
The tour is under way! :hyper:

Not sure if anyone going wants to see the set list or not, hence the spoiler tag. I suspect it will remain the same or pretty much the same throughout the tour.

There's one song I really don't like in there, but I'll either zone out during it or use that time as a bathroom break. The sad thing (for me anyway) is that not only do I dislike that song, but there are so many much better songs on the album that song represents. But I suspect this song was included in the interests of keeping all band members happy, so I suppose it's worth it. Gotta love band politics....


pangaea
space needle
reptile (jazz version)
the unguarded moment
ionian blues
appalatia
invisible
louisiana
comedown
my little problem
mistress
metropolis
under the milky way
already yesterday
10,000 miles
fly
almost with you
tear it all away

encore

Disarm (smashing pumpkins)
space saviour
grind
 
A review of the first gig. Click here, or just keep reading. :)


The Church may be celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2010, but after catching the Australian quartet deliver a dynamic and wide-ranging performance Friday night before a packed house at the Coach House, longtime admirers can certainly be thankful this is no farewell tour.

The band kicked off its self-dubbed An Intimate Space in San Juan Capistrano with a fantastic set that, despite a few technical glitches in early on, quickly evolved into a dramatic, far-reaching celebration of the outfit’s distinctive sound and approach.

As promised in the promotion of the tour and the free colorful program passed out to fans as they stepped inside the venue (what a contrast to the $30 necessary to purchase a program at Paul McCartney’s shows earlier in the week at the Hollywood Bowl), the quartet — bassist-lead singer Steve Kilbey (pictured), guitarists Marty Willson-Piper and Peter Koppes and drummer Tim Powles — started the show with a song (“Pangaea”) from their latest album (Untitled #23), then proceeded to offer other tunes from earlier albums in reverse chronological order as the night went on.

The group didn’t follow that formula perfectly, yet it was hard to argue with a set list that allowed the Church to play tracks that showcased its dreamy neo-psychedelic alt-rock in all its various shades.

There was edgy rock (“Space Needle”) with Kilbey kicking off the song singing to the lone accompaniment of his bass, which he strummed like a guitar before the rest of the group kicked in with force. And the band offered up a reworked version of its hit “Reptile” heavy on jazz leanings — except for the classical-styled solo Willson-Piper added on acoustic guitar.

While many casual fans likely counted the gauzy “Under the Milky Way,” the Church’s sole breakthrough hit stateside, as a favorite performance of the night, there were other selections that easily equaled it thanks to the band’s enthusiasm and lush arrangements. Indeed, all four members played a variety of instruments throughout the two-hour concert, adding countless layers to their material.

The beautiful “Ionian Blues” and “Invisible,” the Americana-tinged “Louisiana” (with Koppes adding textured mandolin) and the uptempo rocker “Comedown” came in the first set, while the second half of the show surprised at every turn thanks to the momentum of the performance. “Metropolis” allowed Willson-Piper to display his talents on flamenco guitar, while the use of 12-strings, keyboards and harmonica gave added life to that big smash “Under the Milky Way.”

During the first of the group’s several encores, Kilbey explained that because the Smashing Pumpkins had once covered a Church song, he and the group were going to return the favor — in this case, a powerful and haunting cover of “Disarm.” Truly this was a night to celebrate a great band whose music and songs still resonate. No wonder relatively few in the near-capacity crowd left before the concert came to a close at midnight.

Pretty good! :yes:
 
So which is the offending song, Indra? Just curious :)

Wow, seeing The Church, then U2 just like last year. This year we are adding Pearl jam to the itinerary as well so it should be a blast!

In terms of merch I need No Certainty Attached. Do you know know if the guys will be signing stuff this time out, Indra? Would really love to get something signed by the guys!

Also, do you think they will churn out the same set list every night like most tours? I would love to get a running list of what they play just in case...the Church Concert Chronicle hasn't updated anything yet. Any ideas on where to check? Hotel Womb had a setlist updated once but nothing since, sadly :(
 
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