Few Australian bands have built a catalogue as atmospheric and quietly influential as The Church. More than four decades after first emerging from Sydney’s underground with their unmistakable blend of shimmering guitars, dreamlike melodies and psychedelic drift, the band are preparing to reimagine their work on an even grander scale with A Psychedelic Symphony.
Joined by a 30-piece orchestra under the direction of conductor and composer George Ellis, The Church will revisit songs spanning their long and constantly evolving career, including “Under the Milky Way”, “The Unguarded Moment”, “Reptile”, “Metropolis” and “Almost With You”. Rather than simply layering strings over familiar material, the performances promise to fully expand the cinematic qualities that have always existed within the band’s music.
It’s a natural progression for a group whose work has consistently blurred the boundaries between rock music and something more immersive and transportive. Since forming in Sydney in 1980, The Church have occupied a unique position within Australian music, moving between new wave, neo-psychedelia, dream pop and alternative rock without ever sounding fully tied to one movement or scene. Even their most recognisable songs seem to exist slightly outside of time.
That restless evolution has been central to the band’s longevity. From early records like Of Skins and Heart through to the breakthrough success of Starfish and more recent releases including The Hypnogogue and Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars, The Church have continually reshaped their sound while retaining the same hazy emotional core. Their music remains instantly recognisable: intricate guitar interplay, surreal lyricism and a sense of atmosphere that feels both intimate and expansive.
The orchestral format feels particularly suited to that world. Songs that already carried an almost cinematic scale now have room to stretch even further, with George Ellis’ arrangements expected to heighten the grandeur and tension already embedded within the material. The result promises less of a nostalgia exercise and more of a transformation, allowing familiar songs to reveal entirely different textures and emotional weight.
For a band inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame more than a decade ago and still releasing new music at a prolific pace, A Psychedelic Symphony also underlines something else: The Church have never settled into legacy act complacency. Even after 27 studio albums, they continue to approach their catalogue as something alive and capable of change.
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