Review by Val Tapia
Photos by Fred Kuhlman
Venue: Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) (https://mim.org/ )
Let’s make no mistake with what is about to be said. The true measure of any great veteran musical artist onstage is to honor their vast catalog to the best of their ability. And then exceed that expectation… and deliver more.
That is exactly what Australian alternative rock act The Church set out to do with its 23-song, 150-minute set for the second (of two nights) at the MIM on Sun. June 14th. Dare I say it, they damn well achieved it that night.
Despite the tour being called The Singles 1980-2025, there were very few “hits” in the strict sense. At least, here in America anyway.
For that reason, it could rightly be argued that this was a tour designed to appease hardcore fans of The Church. The current incarnation of the band consists of lead vocalist and bassist (and sole remaining founding member) Steve Kilbey, guitarists Ian Haug and Ashley Naylor, and drummer/percussionist Tim Powles.
Additional touring members include second drummer Nicholas Meredith and tour manager Matt Wicks on rhythm guitar, filling in for Jeffrey Cain while he’s on health hiatus from the band.
Set one, a 70-minute, 10-song set, kicked off with Columbus (from 1985’s Heyday), which easily stands up to anything The Cure ever recorded. In fact, the music of The Church as a whole is every bit as viable and relevant in 2026 as The Cure’s is. Not to mention adding other contemporaries like INXS, and to a lesser extent, The Cult into that mix as well.
Yes, it was a great time to be a young music fan in the mid-1980s. In case you haven’t figured it out by now.
Part of the music’s appeal is how dark it could actually get. At times, it’s reminiscent of The Velvet Underground. Songs like The Hypnogogue would’ve never received airplay on mainstream rock radio at the time.
Kilbey candidly reminded the audience about the fact that Metropolis (from 1990’s Gold Afternoon Fix) was the “second and final hit in America” for the band. To his credit, Kilbey’s voice has held up remarkably well over four decades.
Reptile (from 1988’s Starfish) concluded the first 70-minutes of the show before a 20-minute intermission. Kilbey joked that “for a sold-out show, why do I see several empty seats out there? I know why…it’s too hot to go out to a show tonight”.
Set two consisted of an 80-minute, 13 song set that commenced with Almost With You (from 1982’s The Blurred Crusade). Again, another song that fans of The Cult would love. But the showstopper for this self-appointed critic was Ripple, a song from arguably The Church’s finest hour on record, 1992’s Priest=Aura.
Shockingly, in retrospect, mainstream rock radio should’ve been all over that song in 1992. Yes, I’m pointing the finger directly at 98 KUPD for that travesty. The so-called “Real Rock” station.
It should be said that several fans started walking out early in the second set. But again, to Kilbey’s credit, he had fun “pleading” with them to stay. But ended up waving and saying “Goodbye” to those who left early. It was hilarious, but he handled it like a total pro.
Of course, the ones who walked out were likely waiting for the band’s biggest hit in the U.S. That of course being Under The Milky Way, the first song that most American fans heard by them. In short order, it ruled MTV’s 120 Minutes (which aired on Sunday night/Monday morning at midnight) pretty much throughout 1988.
Full disclosure. It was also the first song I ever heard from The Church, not to mention the first video I ever saw on ‘120 Minutes’ as well. Good times indeed.
What made this performance a profound critical triumph was how it completely exposed the ongoing laziness of the modern touring circuit for countless “legacy” bands. In short order, paltry 90-minute sets remain the norm with the majority of touring artists (with a sizable catalog) from the 1980s. Which is embarrassing, and every single one of them should be ashamed of themselves for ripping off the fans like that. Period.
The final verdict, good readers? Five stars. Well deserved.
The Church
Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2026, All Rights Reserved
