The Gov – Thursday 17 February 2022
Words – Geoff Jenke
Photos – Geoff Jenke
When Steve Kilby first walked on stage and looked around at the room full of people he wondered if they were here to see him or just people dying to see live music. He did comment several times during the evening “It’s great to be playing to an audience”. Well Steve, it was great to have bands back on the main stage of the Gov playing to a room full of (admittedly seated) people.
The evening was billed as Steve Kilby plays The Church singles, but it wasn’t with the The Church but rather a collection top-notch band members from some of Australia’s best bands, Models, Glide, Caligula to name a few. Not to forget when keyboard player Brad Christmas (yes apparently his real name) was introduced, Steve asked him if he had played in any big bands and his reply was his High School, school band. Steve did also comment he wanted his daughter Eve to marry Mr Christmas.
Set one started with When You Were Mine from the Blurred Crusade album and followed it with a “lesser” known single, Columbus from Heyday.
“I’m not proud of all my singles” commented Steve “but I have to play them all for you. I didn’t like this next one but as we tour, I am warming to it.” The band kicked into Too Fast for You to rapturous applause and rightly so as it was a highlight of the firsts et.
Steve then told us “The Church had never played the next song as several band members didn’t like it. It is a nasty, nasty song”. You’re Still Beautiful followed this introduction. Steve claiming again at the end “it is a very nasty song. However, this next song It’s No Reason is a beautiful song”. And it proved to be so.
Between songs Steve told stories of bygone days of Australian rock. Of becoming famous, hit records and flops. A Michael Chugg story, a story about the Models and several other bands. All entertaining to the extent, I would have been happy just to listen to him talk all evening. Then there were the David Bowie and Jim Kerr impersonations which were hilarious.
But the hits kept coming. Unguarded Moment and Metropolis had the phones out and the audience singing along. Reptile closed the first set to a wild reception.
Set two consisted of more music and less talking. Almost With You started the set and the hits kept coming. They even played their first ever single, She Never Said which Steve reported, “was a flop”. Steve said it was “electro pop” and in fact when played, sounded like a Mi-Sex single. Lash, Ripple and Under the Milky Way followed.
Tantalized rounded out the set, which left us guessing what would be pulled out for the encore. Myrrh started the encore with us asking, was this a single? I don’t think it was but who cared, it is such a great song. The band then took us right back to the beginning with Is This Where You Live from the album Of Skins and Heart. Another non-single but probably the highlight of the evening with it’s almost psychedelic blues intro, before launching into a full-on rock song.
Steve never had to worry about the people not being there for him, just because it was live music. The stand ovation at the end proved that.
Come back soon Steve, and while this band was red hot, it would be great to see The Church treading the boards again
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