The Church | Artist
The Church is an Australian psychedelic rock band formed 1980 in Sydney by Steve Kilbey (vocals, bass), Peter Koppes (guitar, vocals), Marty Willson-Piper (guitar, vocals) and Nick Ward (drums). Tim Powles took over the drum seat permanently in 1994. Marty Willson Piper moved on in 2013, as did Peter Koppes in 2019, leaving Steve Kilbey as the sole founding member to the present day. Australian music elder statesman Glenn A. Baker has written that "From the release of the 'She Never Said' single in November 1980, this unique Sydney-originated entity has purveyed a distinctive, ethereal, psychedelic-tinged sound which has alternatively found favour and disfavour in Australia." The LA Times described the band's music as "dense, shimmering, exquisite guitar pop." Initially associated with new wave, neo-psych and indie rock, their music later came to feature slower tempos and surreal soundscapes reminiscent of dream pop and post-rock. Starting out, Steve Kilbey played with guitarist Peter Koppes in the band Baby Grande in Canberra, in the mid-1970s. They split to play in other bands, including Tactics (Kilbey) and Limazine (Koppes), then met up again in Sydney and formed the initial three-piece version of The Church, with drummer Nick Ward. A month later, Marty Willson-Piper, originally from Liverpool, UK, met Kilbey at one of their gigs and was invited to join the band, establishing the classic two-guitar formation. Their debut album, Of Skins and Heart, was recorded late 1980, produced by Gilbey and mixed by Bob Clearmountain. Seven of the nine tracks were written by Kilbey and two co-written with others. The first single, "She Never Said", failed to chart, but The second single, "The Unguarded Moment", became an Australian hit, while the album went gold. To promote the releases, the band undertook their first national tour. Their second album, The Blurred Crusade, was issued in March 1982 and was produced and mixed by Bob Clearmountain. With its mystical lyrics and fuller sound, the album brought the group's own style more into focus. It peaked at no.10 and its first single, "Almost with You" resulted in a second Top 30 hit. The band undertook a second Australian tour, while the French release of the album generated enough sales for them to tour Europe in October. Their American label, Capitol, however declined to release the album in North America demanding that they write more radio-friendly material, like Aussie ex-pats The Little River Band. The Church hit the big time with their fifth album Heyday in 1986, then Starfish the following year. These two superb albums brought the band to worldwide attention, and remain the pinnacle of their jangle-pop-cum-neo-psychedelic sound. With 28 studio albums to-date, and over 50 Singles and EP's, The band's extensive recorded catalogue is consistently excellent. Stand-out albums include The Blurred Crusade (1982), Seance (1983), Heyday (1986), Starfish (1987), Priest = Aura (1992), Magician Among the Spirits (1996), After Everything Now This (2002), and the live album A Psychedelic Symphony: Live at the Sydney Opera House (2014). In addition to the band's work, Steve Kilbey has released many fine solo albums and collaborations with artists such as Gareth Koch, Curious (Yellow), Hex, Isidore, and Martin Kennedy. Kilbey also worked with Koppes and Powles in The Refo:mation, delivering one excellent album. Marty Willson-Piper also has a successful post-Church solo career, was a full-time member of UK band All About Eve, and played periodically with The Saints. The Church has sustained a large international cult following and earned consistent critical recognition for its later work, including being inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in Sydney in 2010.
Artist Website: thechurchband.net
Featured Albums: The Church
Related Artists: Steve Kilbey, Refo:mation, Marty Willson-Piper