LET US PRAY FOR THE CHURCH
Steve Kilbey is sitting quietly in a spacious hotel suite overlooking Hollywood Boulevard. The bassist and lead singer for the Church, Australia’s most understated rock band, looks fatigued, his arms drawn close to his sides and his back against the diffused sunlight that drifts through the hotel window.
LET US PRAY FOR THE CHURCH
FEATURES
Steve Peters
by
Steve Kilbey is sitting quietly in a spacious hotel suite overlooking Hollywood Boulevard. The bassist and lead singer for the Church, Australia’s most understated rock band, looks fatigued, his arms drawn close to his sides and his back against the diffused sunlight that drifts through the hotel window. Since writers are so keen on symbolism, I could interpret this as a sign of Kilbey’s preference for the dark, brooding atmosphere that dominates much of the Church’s music. Or maybe he is symbolically turning his back on the glitzy decadence that accompanies success in this ugly city. Far more likely, however, is that he just flopped down into the nearest available chair.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CHURCH 1980 A.D. TO PRESENT
Over the past eight years, the Church —Kilbey, guitarists Marty Willson-Piper and Peter Koppes, and drummer Richard Ploog—have released five superb albums, none of which have made a dent on anything besides the college charts in America. Their records are wistful and melodic, with Kilbey’s plaintive vocals providing the perfect complement to the band’s lush, textural instrumentation.