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The Church is, from left, Ian Haug, Tim Powles, Steve Kilbey, Jeffrey Cain and Ashley Naylo.
Talking music, fame, festivals Steve Kilbey By Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer Pasadena Weekly Staff Writer
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The Church/Photo submitted
ooking back on the music of the late 1980s, one can see a myriad of genres simultaneously pulling on the popular zeitgeist. Pop divas such as Whitney Houston and Madonna loomed large even as rockers in the mold of Bon Jovi and Guns N’ Roses were burning up the charts. George Michael was shedding his Wham!-era teen idol persona; Morrissey was shedding the Smiths. Grunge’s iron fist in a flannel glove hadn’t quite grabbed the alt-rock scene by the throat, but Sonic Youth, Jane’s Addiction and the Pixies were on the rise. Amid this fertile chaos came The Church. Already a darling of the underground in their native Australia, the indie rockers found mainstream success with 1988’s “Starfish,” which spawned the hits “Under the Milky Way” and “Reptile.” Praised by fans and critics for its lush melodies, mystical overtones and introspective lyrics, the Church quickly became a favorite on college radio stations, joining Echo and the Bunnymen, The Fall and Joy Division in the post-punk, pre-dream pop pantheon. Despite decades of shifting fortunes and membership changes, The Church has continued to record and tour — with singer/songwriter and bassist Steve Kilbey the sole linchpin holding it all together. “It’s a bit like the Cure, I guess — just Robert Smith now, isn’t it?” said Kilbey, speaking by phone on April 13 from his home on Australia’s Gold Coast. “That happens. Mark E. Smith, he once said, ‘if it’s me and your granny playing bongos, that’s The Fall.’ And I’ve sort of reached that stage now.” Love and lyrics Kilbey was born in England in 1957, but moved to Australia as a child. He distinctly recalls being influenced by the music his parents played. “We were very poor. My dad only had two records; luckily one of them was a really good one. This record by Frank Sinatra, called “Only the Lonely,” had all these torch ballads of unrequited love, written by the best songwriters in the world at the time.” These “beautiful, sad songs” filled the young Kilbey with love and longing, and an appreciation for skilled lyricists. “It’s why I’m very dissatisfied with lyrics like, you know, ‘baby, we’re gonna rock all day!’” Kilbey said, emulating a loud, screeching rock ’n’ roll chorus. “It doesn’t really cut the mustard after these wonderful lyrics.” By the time he was 9, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were rocking the music world into a new era, and Kilbey was as enamored as “every other kid in the world.”
“I was influenced by all of that,” he recalled. “And then at age 16 to 18 I took to Marc Bolan and David Bowie — who were more than influences. They were more like obsessions. While I liked the Beatles, I didn’t want to be the Beatles. With Bolan and Bowie, it wasn’t just their music — it was everything about them.” Going to Church The Church came together as a trio in 1980 in Sydney, with Kilbey on bass, Peter Koppes on guitar and keyboards and Nick Ward on drums. Shortly thereafter Marty Willson-Piper came on board as a second guitarist. Together they recorded the band’s first album, 1980’s “Of Skins and Heart.” Ward was quickly replaced by Richard Ploog, and it was this foursome — Kilbey, Koppes, Willson-Piper and Ploog — that would find widespread success. The band continued to intrigue with the 1981 EP “Too Fast For You,” but it wasn’t until “Of Skins and Heart” was re-released in 1982 as “The Church” that the band really caught on. That album made big moves in both New Zealand and Sweden. Three more albums were to follow, garnering the band more fans and critical acclaim. The Church’s success was aided by the solid musicianship of its members, but their equally strong personalities created conflict. “Starfish” brought the band international attention in 1988 — and revealed the cracks in its foundation. “It should have been a wonderful experience,” Kilbey recalled. “However, I mainly remember all the jostling for position in the band. As soon as we had success, everyone in the band was a superstar. We were all arguing and fighting with each other.” Personal differences among the band members were exacerbated by poor management. Kilbey noted that the band “had a really terrible manager . . . who ripped us off. Any money he made, he managed to put in his own pocket.” By 1990, Ploog had left the band, while Koppes departed in 1992 (he would return in 1997) and Willson-Piper and Kilbey eventually parted ways in 2013. “When I look back on it now, I just remember all the (expletive) arguments that I was always having with everybody. Some of which were my fault — and some of which weren’t,” Kilbey said. “I’m glad none of those people are in my life anymore, I’ll tell you that. I like the band I play with now a lot more.”
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