The Metro, Sydney
Thursday 8 September, 2022
Reviewer : Matt Houston
Photographers : Jo Forster + Matt Houston
Upon seeing the huge line up to enter The Metro, it was clear that adoring fans of The Church had been eagerly anticipating this show for some time. With the devastating effect the dreaded ‘C’ word has had on the world at large, it’s not surprising. Now that live music is getting back on its feet, The Church is the perfect way to reconnect with a dose of sonic bliss.
With a career spanning over thirty years, they’ve been one of Australia’s most beloved exports. The depth of their back catalogue is testament to a band that thrives on creativity and passion.
Covid lockdown was a positive experience for Steve Kilbey musically, judging from the volume of material he wrote and produced during that time. From solo albums and collaborations to writing songs for the rock musical The Road To Tibooburra, he was certainly riding a creative wave surfers in Hawaii could only look at in awe. Luckily, he didn’t neglect new material for The Church as well.
This show was a two and a half hour epic with no breaks included. They played their well-known crowd favourites that must be a staple for a Church gig – ‘Under The Milky Way’, ‘Reptile’, ‘Almost With You’, ‘Metropolis’, ‘Unguarded Moment’, ‘Tantalized’ and ‘Columbus’ – all sounding magnificent. They indulged in many other treasures from their earlier releases, ‘Fly’ and ‘Is This Where You Live’ being stand outs. The band played with conviction and the inclusion of Jeffrey Cain on guitar/keyboards and Nick Meredith on percussion really filled out the sound beautifully.
It was the new release, ‘The Hypnogogue’, that really caught this reviewer’s ear. With Steve’s pulsing reptilian bass in sync with Tim Powell’s solid beat, it was a mesmerising dreamscape of psychedelic guitars painted beneath the lyrical poeticism that Kilbey is a master at delivering. Newcomer to The Church family, the talented Ash Naylor, is a perfect fit for the band. His guitar playing swirled and danced with that of Ian Haug, producing sounds that provoke feelings of being in another dimension. If this is a sample of what to expect from their forthcoming album, it promises to be another masterpiece of immense magnitude. If I sound biased, it’s because I am. As a long time fan of The Church, I left this show satisfied and looking forward to that which is soon to be unleashed.
