This show has been forty-four years in the making, and it has been worth every moment of the wait. This was the second show in the run of “The First Four Tour” and if the band is just warming up be warned this show is simply incredible, in fact I have had to have the last few days to comprehend exactly what I saw, felt and experienced.
Split into two seventy-five minutes sets tonight’s show just built and built, ending in a massive standing ovation. I’m jumping the gun here because there is so much more to cover.
What a concept though, sure lots of bands celebrate a particular albums anniversary and rightfully so. Taking on the first four records of your career, playing two full sets and celebrating a legacy of music beyond the hits is ambitious at best. The Church delivered a show that simply took you to another dimension in many ways. Not only was it captivating and immersive it was just an amazing time to revisit.
Being only 10 years old when the band’s debut was released in 1981, I can’t really remember those very early days except for their second and breakthrough single “The Unguarded Moment” which was brought to life by Australia’s musical institution Countdown and gave me that very first taste of the band.
The Church have dabbled into so many styles and genres over their career, but these formative years were so crucial and when it comes to classifying their body of work. However, the 1981 debut album “Of Skin and Hearts” had dipped its toes in the new wave style of the time. By the time 1985’s “Heyday” album arrived they had covered so many musical landscapes, always evolving, shifting and moving.
From the new wave styling of the debut to the alternative, psychedelic and progressive rock stylings of the three albums to follow. The Church have always sought to keep their listener interested and engaged.
Tonight was no exception. From the stunning production that built as the night progressed to the stellar sound, we were treated to some of the finest sounds and songs of a generation. There were songs that may not have been ultimately familiar to my ears but those were the songs that just took my breath away. There were songs that came rushing back as being familiar like a school friend you lost contact with and run into again and the years between seem so short. Then there are the hits that solidified The Church as one of Australia’s greatest bands.
It’s funny how lyrics come back like muscle memory. There were moments in between where I simply closed my eyes and let the deep structure of songs just hit me and wash over me like a wave.
Steve Kilbey at seventy years old gave a performance tonight that I would have imagined to be amongst the best of his career. His brief tales of the where, when’s and how’s of songs were delivered with charm and wit. Kilbey, the only original member of The Church today has constructed a band that delivers so authentically, everyone on the stage tonight seemed like they had been there since the beginning. The heart and soul were there in spades. The music meant something to this band, and they delivered it so impeccably.
Ashley Naylor delivered some incredible guitar parts that just seemed to embrace you and have you in awe at the same time. His solos were executed with so much heart it’s hard to believe he hasn’t always been there. He without doubt understood the task at hand and executed his role with precision. Ian Haug is the perfect accomplice to Naylor’s playing the two complete the circumference of these songs so well. Between the two they filled each other’s spaces and gaps perfectly much like two people who can complete each other’s sentences, enhancing the sound of this collection of songs perfectly, both adding some incredible vocal harmonies. In addition to the twin guitar attack there was multi-instrumentalist Jeffrey Cain who enhanced songs with his guitar and keyboard parts. Touring Drummer Nicholas Meredith was tight, percussive and so locked into his role driving, twisting and turning these songs with surgical precision and ultimately powering them. The subtle percussive enhancements that were added by the bands long-time collaborator and producer Tim Powles just filled the gaps and added further dimension. This was a master class on how you replicate a recording live.
Stepping outside of the realm of these first four albums was tonight’s encore ‘Under The Milky Way’ from 1988’s “Starfish” album was most definitely a fan favourite, it commanded a standing ovation, the whole night did; but it couldn’t help but have me thinking that tonight was a hint of what is to come on future tours? Maybe a next four tour is just around the corner; one can only hope and pray. If tonight was any kind of indication to the attention to detail in delivering their back catalogue live. My fingers are certainly crossed.
Highlights from tonight for me were the hits obviously, ‘The Unguarded Moment’, ‘Almost With You’, ‘She Never Said’, ‘Under The Milky Way’ to the lush and experimental ‘Travel By Thought’ there was depth and thought put into collating these sets. The result was a sermon delivered by the band to a full clergy in the form of a full Palais Theatre.
Setlist :
Set 1 : When You Were Mine, Tear It All Away, Already Yesterday, Bel-Air, Life Speeds Up, Just For You, Disappear?, Fly, One Day, Electric Lash, She Never Said, Almost With You, You Took.
Set 2 : It Doesn’t Change, Myrrh, Secret Corners, Columbus, Tristesse, Is This Where You Live, It’s No Reason, Travel By Thought, For A Moment We’re Strangers, An Interlude, The Unguarded Moment, Tantalised, Don’t Look Back.
Encore : Under The Milky Way.
With special thanks to Menard PR for the media accreditation
Photos by Shot By Slaidins Photography
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