The legends that are The Church winged their way into Hobart to roll out the Tasmanian leg of their ‘The Already Yesterday Tour’, a celebration of the first four albums from the band, spanning the years 1981 to 1985, with those being Of Skins & Heart, The Blurred Crusade, Seance and Heyday.
Steve Kilbey has, since 2020, settled the band’s lineup, which continues through to the current touring iteration. Ash Naylor (Even/The Stems/Rockwiz) and Ian Haug (Powderfinger) on guitars and backing vocals, have joined him alongside long-standing percussionist, Tim Powles, along with Nicholas Meredith on drums and Jeffrey Cain on additional guitars, keys and backing vocals. This stability of the touring lineup, in conjunction with their mastery of their instruments, is a lynch-pin in ensuring the quality of the music across a catalogue spanning over 40+ years and a massive 26 albums.
Having previously seen this lineup play a few songs at Bluesfest Byron Bay in 2022 (photographers only get to shoot 3 songs before having to leave the photo pit prior to heading off to other stages to catch other acts), I was keen to see and hear the full show this time around from this most iconic of Australian bands playing material from across those first four, truly classic albums.
The first set opened with the soaring When You Were Mine, a perfect start to the night before winding its’ way through thirteen classic tracks, including Life Speeds Up, One Day, Electric Lash and Almost With You, finally culminating with the imperiously visceral You Took.
It is hard to fathom a band playing for 2 1/2 hours, all the while holding an audiences complete attention for that length of time. A short intermission provided enough time for people to stretch their legs and grab another drink, before pulling out a further set to match the first one.
Songs such as Myrhh, Columbus, It’s No Reason, Is This Where You Live and The Unguarded Moment ensured that the near-capacity crowd continued to be mesmerized by the band, and proved the embarrassment of riches The Church have at their disposal when choosing songs to fill out their set-lists.
This was a night chock full of wonderful highlights and fabulous memories, awash with the brilliance of the music of a band whose music has stood the test of time, and which continues to stand tall in 2024 (and beyond).
The Church Photo Gallery: Click on images to see in full size
All images: ©fullonrockphotography/Andrew Fuller
