The Church, The Valentinos
Governor Hindmarsh
Fri 29 September


Maybe it was just me, but something wasn't sitting quite right with Sydney quintet, The Valentinos. As competent as they were, there just seemed to be something lacking in their performance. In their defence, their efforts were probably not assisted by the raft of tables across the stage-front which would have made the prospect of stepping forward to dance to their semi-retro indie sounds seem a little intimidating to all but the most unabashed fans. I must admit, I might also have found more in it if I was familiar with their work and I suspect that on a smaller stage, they may well have delivered something more compelling.

The Church took the stage after a bit of a delay. Apparently singer Steve Kilbey had been set upon by a demon flu and had to dose up on Codral, not that you'd really know. This marked the first show of the band's first electric tour in a while and they seemed very pleased to be there. And while the set showcased material from the band's recent 'Uninvited, Like The Clouds' album, there were also plenty of older favourites to keep everyone happy. Reptile came surprisingly early and was appropriately well-received as guitarists Marty Wilson-Piper and Peter Koppes blew a few cobwebs out.

The Church have a knack for delivering song after song that builds to a crescendo but somehow managing not to seem repetitive. And each time, the fans would join them in their waxings, riding on the reverberations emanating from Tim Powles' impressively solid drums. The band revived the arrangement of The Unguarded Moment from their recent acoustic shows and Kilbey prefaced a stupendous Under The Milky Way with a comedically unwieldy rant about the song's perceived importance that managed to poke fun at the band while still expressing his genuine pride in its continuing appeal.

In the end, the band outpaced a sizeable section of the audience, with the room thinning out by the second encore. Which is a pity as the band's powerful rendition of 'Gold Afternoon Fix's Grind was magnificent and a fitting conclusion to a memorable performance.

Jeremy Reglar

Pics: Cassie Hilditch