“At one point we thought this would be album release tour”, says Powles. In this, the age of Covid, delays in creative processes are simply par for the course – for bands where each member has a lengthy list of side projects, some delays can extend longer than others. “It’s been really hard for Steve, because he’s not the most patient person in the world” Tim jokes, “and he really would have loved us to have finished this record back in 2020 or 21, and just pushed it out there. Personally, I feel like there’s no rush; we’ve got enough records – in fact, I used to joke in the tour bus that there’s no point in making another record, because it just makes writing set-lists harder.”

So, back the tour. The six-date run kicks off in Perth on September 1st, and stretches through to Margaret River, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane, before finishing up in Northcote VIC on September 10. “A national tour here is never that large”, explains Powles, who has been creating with The Church since 1993 “but it’s a tour nevertheless, and it’s the first one here for us for a long time – so yeah it is exciting – I’ll believe it when it’s happening, though” he laughs.

If previous Church tours are anything to go by, we’re predicting a choreographed dreamscape of mind-bending aural projections, and there’s even talks about having a dual drummer setup, if the stages can accommodate. “I don’t even know if Steve has done any interviews yet and said Hey, by the way, we’re going to have more than one drummer, but I’m pretty sure we are. I have been talking to our stage tech – we’ve had some chats about the logistics of how we’re going to put it together and I’m seeing a vision of two drummers playing perfectly In sync, ala concert for Bangladesh, concert for George kind of thing. I’ve just had this thing in my head forever about two drummers playing at once and how beautiful it can be.” The question is, will they all fit? “I’ve just realised there will be six of us on stage, except in some places; I can’t see us getting six on stage at Margaret River and I can’t see us getting six on stage easily at The Gov in Adelaide, so we’ll have to do a job share, or I’ll set up an electric kit at the merch desk or something!”

We’re not going to talk at length about the band’s history, a few minutes on Wikipedia can get you up to speed, but let’s make one thing clear – The Church been releasing great music for 40-odd years, but contrary to recent trends, this is not a nostalgia tour, in fact, the creative forces have been emanating from within the group consistently for the entirety of these four decades, and with the live music scene seeing something of a renaissance in recent years, the scene is theirs for the taking once again. “A European agent took a gamble on us to put us pretty high up on a festival bill at Barcelona Primavera in 2015, and we had arguably the biggest and best outdoor festival show that the band has ever done! It was a great thing for all of us on so many different levels, and that was when we had just recorded Further Deeper (2014).”

 So how does a band with such an extensive back catalogue select a setlist that encapsulates the true essence of their creative output? “I wouldn’t say we’ve got a solution to the set list at all, it’s probably the hardest thing about being in this group – especially if somebody says can you play 45 minutes? Like, how can you possibly do what The Church does in 45 minutes? We’re playing two sets and not having anyone else open with us at this stage, and we’re going to do a decent slice of the new record and I think we’ll be mixing up old slices of old cakes and pies and things. We’ve been drawing on the same 30 to 35 tracks over the last eight years, but it’s time to turn that upside down a little bit. there will be plenty in the set list for everyone. I’m excited to be playing the Princess Theatre (in Brisbane, 9/9) and it’ll be the 5th show on the tour, so we shouldn’t have any excuses about what we’re going to do by then, it’s exciting!”

Like all bands, or rather any group of creatives who choose to collaborate, tensions are bound to arise naturally, and that only becomes more probable as time goes by. Tim explained this reality in poetic fashion.

“We are still wayfarers off on our own road, and that’s just the way it’s gone. The way that the record is turning out has given great validation to hanging in there. It’s been tough” he says with a casual tone as if discussing his family. “Personally, Steve and I have fallen apart, gotten back together, you don’t necessarily have to like the people that you make amazing music with for the music sake, because for the audience’s and the music’s sake it just doesn’t matter. The energy that creates those things is, in the end, more important. The music goes on beyond that and the whole time I’ve been in this band, since ’93, it’s been a constant up and down, and even when you’re feeling very personally stressed or you just don’t want to be around another person’s energy, still you get into the rehearsal room. The chemistry or the chemical equation of what gets created and what will be created is an incredible anaesthetic” He ponders a moment. “Actually no, it’s not an anaesthetic an anaesthetic implies that it’s just papering over the cracks, but it’s not. It’s a tonic that infuses and says Hey I’m the real thing and all those other things that are bothering you are just inconsequential.”

Of his bandmates, Tim says graciously “The band is best known for two unique guitar players and Mr Kilbey’s words and delivery end as time has gone on, a lot of people have realised what a phenomenally unique bass player he is as well.” And the drums? “Well, you need a drummer but it hasn’t necessarily been something that the band is known for. it’s interesting because the drummers position is… in some ways you’re a bit of an observer on the other side – you’ve got the audience on one side and the drummer on the other. I often find myself, rather than being in it, I find myself on the outside watching, in a good way. I’ve had a few classic experiences where I’ve just we’ve been in the middle of a track that really transcends, where there’s an understanding that this can go for as long as it needs to in any direction, and I found myself thinking the drummer is very relaxed, and then I’ll drop a stick and I’ll go oh shit the drummers dropped a stick, and then I realise oh that’s me.”

And the creative process? “It’s like an auto driving car, where there are three other people with steering wheels and you have a computer it’s charged and coming out with the main average trip destination and cruise speed and missing potholes and whatever. When we were tracking this record I was really unsure about where my centre of balance was as a drummer, and there’s a wobble on there or two for me – I was unsure, when we played if I had really done my bit, but the way It’s worked out it has come through really well. Just being with Steve as a musician and a rhythm section partner has been amazing. I mean, it’s been really challenging sometimes – when I joined the band, [Kilbey] was spending a lot of time with substances that… weren’t great for accurate performance, and I took it on as the real challenge. Fortunately he’s sorted all of that out, but he’s a very fluid musician, I’ve learned so much about a whole different sense of how things go together and how they can be played.”

 Considering the fact there was little to no plan of how the record would take shape until the studio sessions began, coming out the other side with a record of any kind would be quite the feat for most bands. “I was just chatting to Steve the other day on the phone about this kind of thing where we somehow are still managing to achieve this magician’s trick; the fact that we can go into the studio with nothing and come out with something that sounds like we went into the studio with everything – it’s a bit of a gift, and testament to the kind of people that Steve has attracted… well,” he chuckles “I was going to say and can put up with him! we all put up with each other equally and we also talk about it.”

 So, after the tour, and after the album is released into the world, what comes next? “To be honest I often think how long should one do this and I often think this has changed for me should I still be here? I’ve got plenty of other things to do I’m a very active producer; creating with other people, and occasionally playing with other people, I’m extremely busy and I thought is it still here? and there were times making this record where I thought, maybe not. What I love about the band though, and what I love about Steve (and remember I’ve been working with him for a long, long time) is that we’re both futurists; we’re both committed, and as soon as we’ve done it, we’re moving forward. 

 The Church are touring nationally in September. Get tickets here while you still can.