On their 30th Anniversary the church continue to redefine what it is to be a band, evolving without compromise into one of the world’s most acknowledged rock groups. Guiding the band though the ‘80s and ‘90s with a combination of chemistry, talent and a desire for excellence, their unique and distinctive guitar sounds and thought-provoking lyrics have succeeded in inspiring both the audience and the critics’ imagination the world over. In recent years the band have continued on their creative trajectory and with their induction into the 2010 ARIA Hall Of Fame, they have been able to reflect on their huge body of work as they continue to be prolific and pursue their artistic aspirations both live and in the studio.
From the debut album Of Skins and Heart (including their first hit The Unguarded Moment) to the artistically and commercially successful Starfish, charting high in both Australia and the USA, (featuring the ubiquitous Under The Milky Way and guitar driven Reptile), through to 2009′s lush, organic masterpiece Untitled #23, lead vocalist and bassist Steve Kilbey, guitarists Peter Koppes and Marty Willson-Piper and drummer Tim Powles (now an active member of the band for 17 years), have continued as the church through three whole decades to pleasure their fans with a unerring sense of space, melody, beat driven prose and sonic charm.
Rolling Stone Australia gave their last album Untitled #23 an unprecedented 5 star review – “a stunningly ambitious album of shimmering rock”. In the USA Rolling Stone commented, “the church have truly reaffirmed themselves as one of the world’s leading melodic art-rock bands, regarded by critics as “a powerful, progressive force in rock music”, playing “the most ethereal sounds this side of paradise” and have remained one of the world’s most innovative and enigmatic groups justifying praises from the press including “Best guitar band on Earth”, “Sonic perfection”, “Sounds that caress the senses”. “A masterpiece of stealth”.
Catalogue
Of Skins And Heart, Too Fast For You EP 1981, The Blurred Crusade, Sing Songs EP 1982, Seance 1983, Remote Luxury EP, Persia EP 1984, Heyday 1985, Starfish 1988, Gold Afternoon Fix 1990, Priest = Aura 1992, Sometime Anywhere, Somewhere Else 1994, Magician Among The Spirits 1996, Hologram Of Baal, Bastard Universe 1998, A Box Of Birds 1999, After Everything Now This, Parallel Universe 2002, Forget Yourself 2003, Beside Yourself, El Momento Descuidado, Jammed 2004, Back With Two Beasts 2005, Uninvited Like The Clouds 2006, El Momento Siguiente 2007, Shriek: Excerpts From The Soundtrack 2008, Coffee Hounds EP, Pangaea EP, Operetta EP, Untitled #23 2009.
Members of the church – present and past
Steve Kilbey, Peter Koppes, Tim Powles, Marty Willson-Piper
Nick Ward (1980-81), Richard Ploog (1982-90), Jay Dee Daugherty (1990-93)
On their 30th Anniversary the church continue to redefine what it is to be a band, evolving without compromise into one of the world’s most acknowledged rock groups. Guiding the band though the ‘80s and ‘90s with a combination of chemistry, talent and a desire for excellence, their unique and distinctive guitar sounds and thought-provoking lyrics have succeeded in inspiring both the audience and the critics’ imagination the world over. In recent years the band have continued on their creative trajectory and with their induction into the 2010 ARIA Hall Of Fame, they have been able to reflect on their huge body of work as they continue to be prolific and pursue their artistic aspirations both live and in the studio.
From the debut album Of Skins and Heart (including their first hit The Unguarded Moment) to the artistically and commercially successful Starfish, charting high in both Australia and the USA, (featuring the ubiquitous Under The Milky Way and guitar driven Reptile), through to 2009′s lush, organic masterpiece Untitled #23, lead vocalist and bassist Steve Kilbey, guitarists Peter Koppes and Marty Willson-Piper and drummer Tim Powles (now an active member of the band for 17 years), have continued as the church through three whole decades to pleasure their fans with a unerring sense of space, melody, beat driven prose and sonic charm.
Rolling Stone Australia gave their last album Untitled #23 an unprecedented 5 star review – “a stunningly ambitious album of shimmering rock”. In the USA Rolling Stone commented, “the church have truly reaffirmed themselves as one of the world’s leading melodic art-rock bands, regarded by critics as “a powerful, progressive force in rock music”, playing “the most ethereal sounds this side of paradise” and have remained one of the world’s most innovative and enigmatic groups justifying praises from the press including “Best guitar band on Earth”, “Sonic perfection”, “Sounds that caress the senses”. “A masterpiece of stealth”.
Catalogue
Of Skins And Heart, Too Fast For You EP 1981, The Blurred Crusade, Sing Songs EP 1982, Seance 1983, Remote Luxury EP, Persia EP 1984, Heyday 1985, Starfish 1988, Gold Afternoon Fix 1990, Priest = Aura 1992, Sometime Anywhere, Somewhere Else 1994, Magician Among The Spirits 1996, Hologram Of Baal, Bastard Universe 1998, A Box Of Birds 1999, After Everything Now This, Parallel Universe 2002, Forget Yourself 2003, Beside Yourself, El Momento Descuidado, Jammed 2004, Back With Two Beasts 2005, Uninvited Like The Clouds 2006, El Momento Siguiente 2007, Shriek: Excerpts From The Soundtrack 2008, Coffee Hounds EP, Pangaea EP, Operetta EP, Untitled #23 2009.
Members of the church – present and past
Steve Kilbey, Peter Koppes, Tim Powles, Marty Willson-Piper
Nick Ward (1980-81), Richard Ploog (1982-90), Jay Dee Daugherty (1990-93)
http://thechurchband.net/the-church/biography/