The Church - C or D/S&D/CB&TT

Steve Kilbey is playing a living room show a couple miles from my house tomorrow night. Should be interesting...

Extremely good show last night for this current Starfish 30th anniversary tour they're doing. Absolutely killed Starfish itself, you got a sense of what they wanted the album to actually sound like. (Pretty sure they did a new instrumental break arrangement for "Reptile," plus Steve sang "Spark" to my slight surprise, would have thought Ian would do that.) Also a smart setup because it gets the big US hit out of the way two songs in. Then the remainder of the set was a split between other standards and newer numbers that show where they're at these days; they really have figured out big sweeping epics that work and allows them to do their prog/space rock deep dives without being dull. A real sense of five performers (counting Jeffrey Cain, their newish tour member) working together even with Steve as the pumped-up frontman. Ending the main set on a fantastic version of "Tantalized," then encoring with "Almost With You," "Unguarded Moment" and then taking it back to the present with "Miami" from Further/Deeper was a sharp move.

I'll also add a rather encouraging sign -- plenty of types my/their age in the audience, but I was happily surprised to note a slew of people in their twenties -- or younger! A whole clutch of people went in ahead of me at the door who were under 21, a mix of indie and goth types. (Definitely a low key goth vibe at the show in general -- saw at least one Siouxsie shirt -- plus also a Gang Starr shirt and a Mastodon shirt! One of the more random and interesting mixes on that front at a show I've seen in a bit.)

cool! as much as I dig Starfish, I'd rather hear a set comprised mostly of songs from their last two albums with a handful of old hits

Yeah, right with you -- had a chance to see the regular tour last year but either something came up or I don't know, so I'm a bit bummed about that. But I could walk to this show -- about eight blocks away -- and even with the anniversary hook I wasn't going to say no. Worked out well! It was also 'an evening with,' so no opener, and it was all done by 10:30. I rather appreciated that!

I'm still mad I had tickets to their Starfish/Priest/Untitled tour a few years back but got a new job and couldn't go (seeing the show involved flying to Chicago)

I went and it was great!!!

Thanks to your tickets iirc!

Yeah I am VERY bummed I missed the LA date for that tour, one of the few shows I could have seen by anyone I still actively regret. Quite literally that afternoon I came down with a fever and head cold and was utterly miserable and out of it. If only.

At least I did get to see them with Marty a few times before that, including the acoustic Steve and Marty tour in the mid-90s.

xpost glad a true fan got to go in my stead!

not just a true fan, a marty maniac! i am genuinely glad i got to see him play with them before he left the band.

well it was payday in arcadia

Anyway, speaking of Marty, new album in two weeks:

https://soundcloud.com/noctorummusic/a-girl-with-no-love-the-afterlife-single-release-2018/

gotta say i am not into that song :-/
oh well. marty's taste has always seemed kind of questionable

Jesus, a song about the virtues of a sex doll. I had thought MWP's solo work cringeworthy at times but he's going all out here.

I felt the same disappointment with the Blade Runner sequel. So many potential themes, and... nope, we're gonna do hologram girlfriend and prostitutes.

his imagination has always seemed limited compared to Steve Kilbey's

Been listening to my Remote Luxury CD today driving around running errands, it's so good... they've really established their own sound on these two EPS. I love MWP's "Volumes" so much, especially the chorus:

they have pages
they take ages
to read and to learn
they're heavy to carry
and easy to burn
volumes have secrets
take them on holiday
book them a room
save them a moment
swallow their swoon

I didn't post on the right thread but last night came across a Rykodisc pressing of Peter Koppes - Manchild & Myth (on clear CQV "CD Quality Vinyl" Ryko's then buzzword) and damn what a great record, some missing link between Church, Durutti Column and 90s shoegaze

The night is a liar
Overthrow the tyrant

Wow, still great in 2017! Just catching up. Man Woman Life Death Infinity is like vintage Church.

Have you listened to Further/Deeper? Absolutely brilliant - to my mind, the equal of any of their earlier peaks.

Wow, Manchild & Myth is wonderful

their last three albums are as good as anything they've ever recorded, definitely better than the 2000-2008 era stuff (which I like too!)

Wow, Manchild & Myth is wonderful

― Mule, Tuesday, January 22, 2019 7:26 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah i'm surprised i'd never heard of it, songs production everything is so gorgeous
...early Ryko stuff is pretty much a guaranteed buy for me because it comes around so rarely and they were a weird label then

Never heard of it myself, so thanks for digging it up. Really like that warm, drugged out feel. It’s sort of dated in the production, channeling (as you point out, I’d add baggy though) lots of stuff going on at the time, but still sounds kinda timeless nontheless. Been playing it alot off of YouTube last couple of days

Coming back in April and May: http://www.brooklynvegan.com/the-church-announce-more-starfish-tour-dates/

Kinda like how they're looping around the Bay Area this time to play smaller shows in various spots.

I kinda hit burnout after seeing SK solo at a backyard show right here in Sierra Madre last April but I'm tempted to go to that Pappy & Harriets show. The band sounds tremendous.

Kilbey's Sydney Rococo is worth a listen, with some fine tracks like the below. Also, the Kilbey / Kennedy albums are worth pursuing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kI7C6zCnGQ

Also, the Kilbey / Kennedy albums are worth pursuing.

Seconding/thirding these. SK's songwriting caught a third/fourth wind when he had this outlet to work on. Check 'em out: https://kilbeykennedy.bandcamp.com

Couple of days ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RuJK6XVHMY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCQ_hi47x3g

But that appears to be the final bow for Pete:

https://m.facebook.com/?_rdr#!/story.php?story_fbid=10156557066421046&id=20594731045&ref=m_notif¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic

Surprised and unsurprised that SK would continue on with none of the other originals. Altho of course Powles is a way more durable member than Ploog was.

Yeah, if Powles wasn't still there I'd be looking at all this really askance. Though I do know Jeffrey Cain, and he's a good sort.

What's at Ned's link?

Surprised and unsurprised that SK would continue on with none of the other originals. Altho of course Powles is a way more durable member than Ploog was.

Richard wasn't a founding member! Nick Ward was the drummer on Of Skins and Heart.

What's at Ned's link?

A statement from SK to the effect that Peter is done with The Church. (Presumably for good this time.) This... does not bode well, I would think. They rebounded after MWP's estrangement to make a superb album that retained all the qualities that I most love in The Church, but losing PK too means that they're inevitably going to become a different musical proposition. This isn't a "me and yer granny on bongos" situation.

Really glad I saw em in Ithaca when they came through last year. I was amazed at how great a show it was. They played forever and the crowd was with them the whole way. Sorry to see Koppes go. He was the backbone of the band no doubt.

Well, of course there was that period in the 90s when it was just Steve and Marty. And a slap on the wrist for me forgetting Nick Ward.
I guess my main reservation is that altho the Church were always a benign dictatorship, SK has increasingly leaned into the role of rock legend / elder statesman in the last decade. The self aggrandising statements feel a little less ironic these days.

(Presumably for good this time.)

Ah, as long as the band exists, I wouldn't rule out anyone returning, given the fluctuations of the '90s.

I see Ash Naylor is being brought in to replace him though - seems Kilbey has a project to incorporate all the flattest-haired Australian guitarists of those '90s as positions become available.

I just did a search for him on Google Image Search and indeed, he would fit in nicely on the ILM "swagger of Oasis" thread.

as long as the band exists

Even more likely: a farewell or retirement-fund tour with MWP and Koppes at some point while everyone's still healthy

Naylor is a great player and super low key in a similar vein to Koppes, I must admit

Steve just posted something now re some of the comments of the past few days:

https://www.facebook.com/thechurchband/photos/a.10151876536906046/10156570000881046/

People questioning my integrity and my right to call my band the church should bear in mind that I wrote approx 90 per cent of all guitar parts on first 4 albums other than the actual solos. Seance is virtually a solo album as far as the writing of it. I have never been merely the bass player.

It's a shame both that artists being so close to pissy audience comments these days make him feel he needs to make any response, and also that he went for such a petty, reaching defence. This is throwing the last 20+ albums & mini-albums under the bus, and also the contributions of the recent and future guitarists. Presumably not his intention!

He's never hesitated to use other names for other music. Bummer if there's actual acrimony, not just fed-up-ness, with Koppes, but it's not hard to trust that future music with Kilbey's main Church collaborator of the last 25 years and a lead guitarist who's been in the band for six years will be Church-ish.

I'd guess that calling an album a Church album instantly means more sales and the ability to plan a tour with larger venues, and have a shot at actually making some money, regardless of who plays on it or what it sounds like.

i looked up MWP after the last revive and wondered if anyone has seen his new act w his new wife? i thought she was his daughter until i read a little more about the project :-/

i wish steve kilbey would do another album in the earthed/unearthed style, maybe re-earthed? de-earthed?

should we pitch in and buy LL a one-hour Skype guitar lesson with MWP for £35

lololol irl lols here
maybe i will do it over the summer. i'm sure someone would let me borrow their guitar. he can teach me the basics as i know nothing about playing guitar :)

i didn't realize he was still at it!