It had been quite a while since I’d had the opportunity to catch The Church – but never have I had an opportunity quite like this. In the middle of their “An Intimate Space” 30th Anniversary Acoustic Tour, they stopped off at a venue more intimate than most: Notes Live in Newtown, for a special families, friend and media daytime performance. It was a privilege to be included in this group, and now let’s look back at the day that was…
First, I guess it needs to be said that it was a learning experience. My knowledge of Church songs starts and ends at their greatest hits. But today, as they have been doing on all their “An Intimate Space” shows, they provided a history lesson, playing through one track from each of their albums – starting at their most recent, Untitled #23, and running back to their debut Of Skins And Heart (1981).
As you could imagine, there was plenty of banter between songs – I imagine more so than usual considering the audience – and plenty of stories to be told about where each song came from, the albums they loved, the albums they hated, how the band changed – and so on and so forth. It was, as I said, a unique learning experience for someone who wasn’t familiar with their history. To hear about their rise to fame in the 80s, the troubles of releasing albums properly in America (resulting in different versions of many of their early albums), showcased a band who has been on a magnificent ride, something we were certainly taken on today.
Highlights of the set, which was broken into two halves, included “Jazzy Reptile”, “Louisiana”, “Metropolis” and “Already Yesterday”. I noted a bit of Bob Dylan influence in their tracks from the early 90s, although the emphasis on Steve’s voice never wavered as their sound evolved. With tracks like “Almost with You” there is a real simplicity to it that makes it work so well – while “Under a Milky Way” proved just as beautiful as ever. “Tear it All Away” was the track from their debut to close out the night.
To see Steve Kilbey, Peter Koppes, Tim Powles and Marty Willson-Pipe play through their back catalogue is something you’ll probably never get the chance to do again – certainly not with such focus and in such intimate settings – so make sure you don’t miss any of the remaining dates!
Dec 8th Wed Lizotte’s Kincumber NSW
Dec 9th Thurs Lizotte’s Newcastle NSW
Dec 10th Fri Lizotte’s Newcastle NSW
Dec 11th Sat Milton Theatre Milton NSW
Dec 16th Thurs The Gov Adelaide SA
Dec 17th Fri Thornbury Theatre Melbourne VIC
Dec 18th Sat The Drama Theatre (GPAC) Geelong VIC
Dec 19th Sun Thornbury Theatre Melbourne VIC
