"Throughout the grim, beautiful, disorienting journey, the four cornerstones of the Church continue to greet and defy expectations, Kilbey the receiver of an endless stream of outlandish images, the guitars of Koppes and Willson-Piper spiralling, aquaplaning, morphing and diverging. Powles shares production duties this time to concentrate on drums and percussion" - Michael Dwyer
1980 The Church play their first
gigs in Sydney, Australia.
1981 Of Skins and Heart LP makes a
Top 30 debut. The Unguarded
Moment hits ..22.
1982 US debut combines Skins and Too
Fast For You EP. Classic second album The Blurred Crusade
hits Australian Top
10. Almost With You is another hit.
1983 Sing Songs EP in Australia; first UK EP.
1984 Seance album serves notice of more experimental, atmospheric intent. Persia
and Remote Luxury EPs.
1985 Steve Kilbey releases first solo disc, a precedent Marty Willson-Piper and Peter Koppes soon embrace with gusto.
1986 Heyday album breaks Australian Top 15, becomes global cult classic.
1987 Top 10 Starfish LP marks new worldwide commercial peak. Under
the Milky Way, ..5 in Australia, ..24 in US, Best Single ARIA
1990 Metropolis reaches ARIA Top 10. Compromised Gold Fix Afternoon LP, another Top 10 hit, seals bands resolve to put art before commerce.
1991 A Quick Smoke At Spots rarities compilation.
1992 Self-produced Priest = Aura, a new career high, is the end of an era.
1994 Kilbey and Willson-Piper reconvene for epic Sometime Anywhere
set; tour as acoustic duo.
1996 2nd duo LP, Magician Among the Spirits Koppes makes guest appearance that leads to reunion tour, with drummer Tim Powles completing
most cohesive Church line-up.
1998 Hologram of Baal,l cements new line-up Companion album, Bastard Universe first 70-minute improvisation album.
1999 A Box of Birds covers album.
2001 After Everything Now This biggest international hit in almost 10 years..
2002 Parallel Universe remix album
2003 Forget Yourself sparks another sweeping world tour headed by a stunning launch at the Sydney Opera House.
2004 Three albums find the Church at a new peak of creative health:
Jammed second 70-minute improvisation album. Beside Yourself a second B-sides compilation. El Momento Descuidado Liberation Blue acoustic album.
2005 Back With Two Beasts, outtakes album
2006 Uninvited, Like The Clouds,
worldwide release April - 26 years after first Church shows. The album El Momento Descuidado is nominated for an ARIA award
2006 The Church perform Under the Milky Way with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the opening of the Commonwealth Games followed by an acoustic Europe and extensive USA tour. The Magnetic Strip full electric tour follows in Australia
2007 - The Church embarked on a major tour as very special guests of The Pretenders on their Australian Tour during Jan 2007. Feb saw the release of the new album El Momento Siguiente, preceding album launches in Melbourne and Sydney. In April the band embarked on a full electric tour of eastern europe finishing up at the Carlisle in London to a totally sold out gig. In July, the release of Deep In The Shallows - The Classic Singles Collection They finished off 2007 touring with The Divinyls, taking them from the Enmore Theatre, Sydney to The Forum in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and finishing at the Gold Coast.
2008 - The band are presently working on a new studio album. Steve Kilbey has appeared solo and in special event concerts with The Triffids this year including the Triffids Hall of Fame induction and Marty has appeared in solo gigs in Australia, USA and Europe.
Greetings, Gents! Just had to pipe up and say what an incredible song "The Awful Ache" is. You guys really are one of my all-time favorite bands and deserve to be much more well-known than you are -- at least in the States, that is.
