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After Everything, Now This

The pic to my right isn't the most current photo of the band -- Steve Kilbey (second from left) has shaved his beard, while Marty Willson-Piper (right) has the long hair and beard of a Grateful Dead member -- but it's still a good photo of The Church, the Australian group that's closing in on thirty years of performance. [Founding member Peter Koppes (right) and Tim Powles (second from right) round out the group, their contributions essential.]

And while most bands of their ilk would be content to ossify into '80s fossils, The Church is still a vital and creative unit, both on record and live in concert. [And actually, if you are a fan of the Dead, you might dig the newer, more atmospheric and exploratory music of The Church.] They're is out touring the U.S. as I type, promoting their latest spacey epic Untitled #23, and while it's not as jaw-droppingly great as their last album Uninvited, Like The Clouds, it's still pretty fine. Due to my having to work for a living, I was only able to see their Thursday night show in Ferndale, and here was the set list:

Tantalized
Block
Day 5
North South East and West
Happenstance
After Everything
Almost With You
A Month Of Sundays
Deadman's Hand
Pangaea
You Took
Operetta
Under The Milky Way
Reptile

Encore 1: An Interlude, Space Saviour

Encore 2: The Girl From Ipanema [excerpt], Hotel Womb

So four songs from their late-'80s commercial zenith Starfish, along with a nice blend of classics ("Almost With You," "You Took") and newer beauts ("Pangaea," "Day 5"). It's always a bit of a shock to see just how hard the band can rock when they want to, and there were sections (especially in "You Took" and a between-songs riff on "Search And Destroy" from Iggy & The Stooges) where they really laid it down.

And while plenty of frontmen try to crack wise, Steve Kilbey is actually funny, telling stories and jokes alike with exquisite timing and delivery. He even took time to curse the fuck out of someone in the front row during "You Took," offering to use his bass as an incentive for the insensitive clod in the crowd to tone it down. Again, I forgot that they were Australian. But it was entertaining throughout. I didn't get to record as much of the show as I wanted, but here's a live set from KCRW:

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