INTIMATE LA SHOW FEATURED CUTS OFF RECENT LP THE HYPNOGOGUE

I could not think of a better place to showcase a band aptly called The Church than the intimate Belasco Theater located on the sidelines of downtown LA. With themed areas likened to religious counterparts such as “Confessionals,” the venue packed the floor with no acceptance to the balcony. Having caught a performance by singer Steve Kilbey and co. at the first Cruel World festival in Pasadena, California, I was eager to see how much better the band could shine in a smaller venue.

The merch stand offered a few shirt designs, a tour poster, and a single limited edition signed DVD of a previous live concert taping, the latter of which I snagged. Similar to shows such as “an evening with…",” the band came on within fifteen minutes of my arrival; no opener. I watched from the photo pit as the aged rockstars grabbed their instruments and accepted the audience’s grace with compassion. They kicked off the third show of the 2023 tour with new track “Ascension” then took it back to 1990 with Gold Afternoon Fix’s “Metropolis.” The fans let out cheers as deeper cuts harkening back to their young adult lives rang out through the church-like structure.

Kilbey took a few moments to introduce his band, consisting of founding members and a touring drummer, most of which came from Australia. As I watched the remainder of the show near the bar area, the idea of musicians always having a dedicated fan base to any extent brought me amusement. People sang to the band’s most fond song, “Under the Milk Way” with ease but also belted out newer tracks like “No Other You.” The Church also delivered a very lengthy set, having seen 24 songs written on the set list while taking photos, the band was forced to cut it at 22. Luckily for the audience, the encore featured hit song “Reptile” with its iconic guitar intro echoing through to the sold out floor. In today’s music hemisphere, it’s a popular notion that rock music is dead along with artists who play “real” instruments. However, I choose to attend events such as this one, and I come back to that same notion with force; bands like The Church helped pave the way for musicians after them, and they’re still here. The fans show up. They always will. Check out the setlist here!