Line-up

Headliner
The Church Last time in Portland: 8 months ago

Venue

McMenamins Crystal Ballroom

1332 W. Burnside, 97209, Portland, OR, US

www.crystalballroompdx.com/

Capacity: 1,500

View upcoming concerts

The Church biography

The Church is an Australian alternative rock band originally from Canberra which currently consists of Steve Kilbey, Ian Haug, Tim Powles and Peter Koppes.

The band initially formed in 1980 when the members were all together in Sydney. The Church has kept rock at the forefront of their sound, yet it has changed quite noticeably from the beginnings of their career when they were often classed as new wave and psychedelic. It is now likened more to progressive, with emphasis on the long instrumental and complexity of the guitar riffs.

The band enjoyed their first hit in 1981 when 'The Unguarded Moment' lifted from the debut 'Of Skins and Heart' peaked at #22 on the Australian chart. They achieved their peak position on both the album and singles chart upon the release of 'Starfish' in 1988. This album reached #11 in Australia and #42 in the US. The sales were aided by the band's only international hit single, 'Under The Milky Way' which reached #24 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

This remains their commercial height as throughout the rest of their career they have not been able to replicate the success of 'Starfish'. Despite several line up changes, the band held steady and they were rewarded in 2010 as they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in Sydney. Their latest album 'Further/Deeper' was released in October 2014.

Live reviews

There's hardly any other band out there that can put on a show quite as transcendent as The Church. The Australian quartet adeptly layers their music to create an epic, surreal sound. The Church’s live performances are very well executed and they create an atmospheric quality that immediately captivates the audience. Songs like “Under The Milky Way” have the kind of beauty and layers that conjure up images and feelings as if you were sitting under the night sky while having an introspective moment. The Church incorporates the clean crisp sound of their 12 string acoustic guitar as a rhythmic backdrop to the shimmering sounds of their electric guitars that are drenched in reverb to create a dreamy mood. Songs like “Aura” show The Church using the deep, warm sounds of the synthesizer to create eerie, mystical sounds that will put the audience in a delightful haze.
The light show at The Church’s concert is also very atmospheric and goes very well with the music. There is usually a layer of fog covering the stage, and the subtle, ambient lights illuminate the stage. They also incorporate psychedelic lighting patterns into their show as well to help further create an atmospheric vibe. Steve Kilbey’s lyrics also create a kind of atmosphere to the performance. His lyrics are often surreal and touch on topics dealing with dreams, myths, and visions.
The Church is bound to put on a memorable performance whenever they walk on stage. Their most recent performances have shown them playing through a wide variety of songs from their catalog as well as breaking their concert into two long sets. If The Church ever comes through town, you should not hesitate to let their live performance sweep you off your feet with their grand atmospheric sound that is so uplifting.

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