The Church - any of the congregation here? (Part Two)

“Numbers” shuffled on the car yesterday!

 

Thanks for posting the set list from yesterday. Looks very similar to the show I saw a few years ago when The Church was sandwiched between The Fixx and Psychedelic Furs. Posted upstream but here it is for reference:

Tantalized
Metropolis
Reptile
You Took
Under The Milky Way
Miami

They only have 40 minutes on stage, glad a new song is included. I'll be there today and look forward to seeing the new lineup in action.

 

How was "Hypnogogue"?

 

Looks like a solid lil festival set! I hope some new congregation members were born in the crowd! Steve said they're returning to the US later in 2022, correct?

 

I was at Cruel World yesterday (Day 2). The Church presented with an altered setlist as follows:

1. Reptile
2. Metropolis
3. Myrrh
4. C'est La Vie
5. Under the Milky Way
   
6. The Unguarded Moment
7. Tantalized

The songs are correct but the order is a bit rusty when it comes to #'s 5 & 6 (could be reversed). Missed Ripple but Myrrh and The Unguarded Moment is a fair trade. The latter may be getting old for SK but it sounds so muscular when performed live in 2022 which makes for a thrilling performance.

C'est La Vie was amazing. Checks all of the boxes for the makings of a Church classic if there ever can be such a thing in today's musical climate. Impressive to have a band going so strong with high quality this late in their career despite numerous lineup changes.

Speaking of changes, Ian seems so natural as part of The Church. The newest guitar player (I'm pretty sure it was Ashley Naylor) seems fine and kind of has a looming yet understated stage presence similar to Peter Koppes but it will take some time to get used to him. The other instrumentalist (pretty sure it was Jeffrey Cain) was more in the background and didn't add a ton to the front line.

All in all, this new incarnation of The Church should have a lot to offer with their next album. Very much looking forward to it!

 

Any Hypnogogue news/updates? Bueller?

 

Oh no! Steve's return visa expired during the US tour and he can't go back to Australia until it gets sorted out. Funny how, due to his '99 drug bust, it's incredibly hard for him to get into the US – and now he's stuck there until a new visa can get issued and delivered to him. (And with the postal situation we're in, that could be weeks!) Luckily he's staying with his daughter and newborn grandson so he's doing well.

 

I saw that. That sucks! He posted some other videos enjoying the California weed, so that should help things. Maybe an impromptu writing session? Exile in the sunshine state.

 

He's released ten albums in the past three years and each one cost a minimum of $30 to import to the US... don't give him any ideas!

I'd point out that Florida is the Sunshine State, but even Tupac got that wrong in his song about California so I think you're off the hook.

 

At least I didn't pull a Sade, "coast to coast L.A. to Chicago" lol

 

To be fair, we do have a pretty good coastline, it’s just on a lake.

 

Are American concert-goers, at festivals and otherwise, attending to socialize more than hear music?!?

 

I wish I'd never made those posts. Just ignore them, they're worthless. My concert experiences are not indicative of anyone else's.

 

I could go on about this, but instead, how about a mildly amusing story involving Steve?

He was doing an acoustic show at a small club in the Boston area when a guy right up front was apparently talking loudly with his friends. Kilbey called him out on it, suggesting he move back to the bar if he wanted to talk through the show. He ended up commenting on the guy's tie and then incorporated it into a version of "Don't Look Back", singing something like "you've got an ugly tie" as the ending line.

Fast forward to the next time he was in town - with Jack Frost - and Kilbey brought up the previous incident from the stage, asking if the guy 'with the ugly tie' was there that night. It apparently stuck with him :-D

 

Nothing to regret if only because your observations are thought-provoking...but they also mirror my own over the last few years?!?

 

Ah, I took your punctuation to be disagreement with my opinion. I still wish I hadn't made those posts because they add nothing meaningful to the thread, though.

 

Yeah this is the first leg of the tour.

 

Don't regret! I'm just thankful to have people to be able to talk about this amazing band with.

 

I don't regret any of my actual talk about the Church, but the post that stirred up this kerfuffle was me complaining about my perceived lack of attentiveness in the audiences I've been a part of. Nothing to do with the band, yet it got a lot of off-topic responses.

 

In all candor, I would suggest they do, at least insofar as they are indicative of the increasingly prevalent attitude of the live performances, no matter the popularity of the artist, coming second to the socializing, whether it be with other attendees present or on the phone(?!?!?!)...might be worth it's own thread (if one doesn't exist already?)?!?

 

It’s a subject the forum has had multiple previous threads on.

 

Most of which probably got locked by the moderators because, as evident in this thread, it's an inflammatory topic.

Once again, these posts I shouldn't have made in the first place continue to derail the Church thread.

 

Golden State. Florida is the Sunshine State. However, as long as SK is enjoying the sunshine and local herbs, not a golden afternoon fix, then as is well...

 

Maybe if Steve has time on his hands he can fly up to SEA and work out a deal with IR Shane!

 

The Church announce first Australian headline tour in four years