Entertainment

Review: The Church Gives Adelaide A Religious Experience

For those who braved the arctic Adelaide conditions to venture out and see Aussie rock legends The Church on Saturday night, it was a night of hits, memories, and future classics as the guys graced The Gov with their eminence.

thechurch_hirespressshot_september20141-300x202For those who braved the arctic Adelaide conditions to venture out and see Aussie rock legends The Church on Saturday night, it was a night of hits, memories, and future classics as the guys graced The Gov with their eminence.

Being lucky enough to have chilled out with the band members prior to their Adelaide show, my only concern was whether or not Steve Kilbey’s voice was going to hold up throughout the performance, as he was clearly having some vocal issues beforehand and was sipping a garlic and ginger concoction to ease the discomfort. Fortunately though, The Church did not disappoint as they presented their entire Blurred Crusade album followed by their latest release, Further/Deeper with a few familiar tunes thrown in for good measure.

It may have taken Kilbey a couple of songs to get his voice comfortable with the repertoire, but the forgiving crowd didn’t mind, as the energy was there and the band were as tight as ever with Ian Haug (ex Powderfinger) joining the likes of originals Steve Kilbey, Peter Koppes, and Tim Powles.

It was interesting to hear The Blurred Crusade performed live juxtaposed with Further/Deeper, which not only showed the band’s progression musically and technically, but also proved their integrity and refusal to ‘sell out’ to anything intentionally commercial. Their distinctive sound is evident, with Further/Deeper being bolder, energetic, and perhaps a little dark at times, but this is The Church after all and their music isn’t about sunshine and lollipops, nor should it be.

Those expecting to hear more famous songs like Unguarded Moment may have been sorely disappointed, with the band firmly stating that they are not a retrospective band nor will they just wheel out classics on command as Tim Powles mentioned in this interview we did with him recently.

Fair enough I say, as The Church have much more to say musically than a few of their recognisable hit songs, and should be heard for the band they are today. Not that they shy away from their former repertoire, they did after all perform one of their earlier albums in its entirety, it’s just that they don’t want to become a parody of themselves in performing songs they may not feel best declare their proclivity. You have to respect them for that integrity and authenticity.

One thing’s for certain though, after 35 years The Church are still appreciated very much and can still pull a crowd. Their Adelaide gig was part nostalgia/part futuristic, a solemn hope that these guys will still be turning out great music for years to come.

Can I get an Amen to that!

 

Review by Darren Hassan

Twitter:@DazzHassan

 

http://thechurchband.net

Dates:

16 JUL SETTLERS TAVERN, MARGARET RIVER WA

17 JUL PRINCE OF WALES, BUNBURY WA

18 JUL THE ROSEMOUNT, PERTH WA

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