The Church @ Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide 7/12/2024

Adelaide was the last show of the Australian Already Yesterday Tour. The seminal Australian band, The Church, has been touring the country, performing songs from their first four albums, Of Skins & Heart, The Blurred Crusade, Séance and Heyday (with a couple of extra songs thrown in) to high acclaim.

With no support, The Church, did two sets, totaling nearly three hours of absolute mesmerising music. “Is this the best venue in Australia?” asked Singer/bass player Steve Kilby. “It has to be one of the best” as the band kicked into When You Were Mine from the 1982 album, The Blurred Crusade. Tear It Away showed just how far back they were going this evening, with the song coming from one of their very first releases, 1981’s Too Fast for You E.P.

“This is the song the tour was named after” said Steve as Already Yesterday resounded around the room and then Bel-Air “the earliest song I ever wrote for The Church. Mum said “what is that noise” and I told her one day I will be playing it in The Hindley Street Music Hall”. Ian Haug changed to acoustic guitar for a run of songs from 1983’s Séance album, commencing with Disappear with Ash Naylor completing the song with a soaring guitar display. Fly, One Day and Electric Lash finishing the mini-Séance show.

Steve Kilby has cemented the sound of The Church with Ian Haug and Ash Naylor on twin lead guitars and Nicholas Meredeth joining the band on drums. Long stay Tim Powles has been with the band since 1994, not only complementing Tim with percussion, but also playing guitar and singing backing vocals. Jeffrey Cain completes the line up, doing, well anything needed from him, guitar, keyboard, bass and vocals. This a formidable line up of very talented musicians.

She Never Said was “at the very beginning, wow forty four years ago.” Steve told us. “It’s a little bit new wave, a little bit romantic music” and apparently it is “very un-Australian not to like Almost with You”. However, the piece de resistance of the evening came with Set One closer You Took. Steve did tell us “If you’re not taking drugs, you’re going to hate this”. The sound of the song rose up and up, until it became the sound of the impending apocalypse as the two lead guitars from Ian and Ash echoed off each other, while the rest of the band, Steve seated on the drum riser, played a quieter but solid riff behind the pair. Then Tim Powles saved us all by bringing the pair back down with a solid drum beat. A pure psychedelic melodic masterpiece.

Set Two began with It Doesn’t Change, Myrrh, a short sad Secret Corners and a loud Columbus. Steve Kilby is renowned for his talking between songs, although this evening he did keep it to a minimum. He did get a laugh from the crowd with the story of a fan who told him they had named their daughter after The Church song Tristesse. Steve asked the fan if he knew what the word meant. No was the reply and was then told, it was the sadness after love making.

The songs came fast, Is This Where You Live, It’s No Reason (which a rock writer said it sounded like Puff the Magic Dragon, and well maybe there is a bit in there), Travel by Thought, with its prevailing primal drumming from Tim and For a Moment We’re Stranger.

The opening riff to the “inevitable song”, The Unguarded Moment bought a loud cheer and by now I thought the crowd would be out of their chairs. Maybe the audience is just that bit older to get up.
“This song is loud and nasty”, and with a stage bathed in red, we were once again subjected to a powerful twin guitar assault from Ian and Ash during Tantalized. It was indeed loud and nasty, but it was also wonderful and beautiful. Don’t Look Back bought the whole thing home quietly.

The two-song encore stepped outside the first four album box. 1990’s Metropolis came first and then Steve promised a song “that nobody wants to hear. It’s a boring prog song”. Starry lights lit up the screen behind the band and the opening chords of Under the Milky Way lit up the faces in the audience.

“Peace and Love” Steve gave us “and have a Merry Christmas”. With a bow at the front of the stage, the band were gone.

While The Church are still releasing quality albums, check 2024’s Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars, it is also vital to keep the flame burning for the older albums. The Church wove a mystical tapestry of music all evening. While Steve Kilby maybe the only remaining original member, this line up is as good as any other The Church have had. They gave the fans what they wanted and the fans reacted accordingly. Let’s hope they come back soon to play songs from more recent albums.

I thought I already had my number one gig of 2024 sown up a long time ago, but after tonight’s magical gig by The Church, I may have reconsider that choice.

If you missed The Church on this run of shows, you can always book their shows next year in The Maldives, 3-10 May.

Live Review by Geoff Jenke