reg kilbey : whereabouts unknown

hello i’m reg kilbey

i come round for a kiss n cuddle with yer wife

when youre not there

i didnt think youd mind seeing i was on the tv a bit

thats me in that ad for nestles wild raspberry bar

thats my voice in the jingle for daddy dingles special fruit tingles

thats my hand in the 13th frame

thats my life squashed between those 2 centuries

thats my little brittle memories up on yer screen, dean

you know who i am, lamb

me n my lady bint jump in the motor

we cruise swampy evening uncontrolled

past familiar dips the christmas lights

inside people drinking beer watching sport eating din dins

hey love find summink on the bloody radio for me will ya

she seeks and searches while static n fragments explode on my nicked speakers

cmon a pair of namagotchi speakers for 250 smackers….?

who can resist a deal like that…..i dont care where stuff comes from

sure enough david neil comes on the radio

i mean well of course

the night unfolds

we swing over to some friends place in the inner south

neck some good vino understand

charlie comes out and some bastard racks em up

humid night pal heat up that plate

my bit o fluff helps her self freely

i mean so do i too

eventually charlie disappears and i feel fucken restless

we pile into jonesys white audi panther with the cat scan seats from star-hide

i neck some stiff drink from jonesys hip flask

things rush by out there

the seaside is fucking pumping alright

we roll up under some no stopping never sign

fuck that ! jonesy kicks at sign like a stupid buck

i stagger off towards the black sea lit up in stabs of green n ice blue

i frown at the boys wandering thru the park

i leer at the girls all dressed up n drunk

i’m reg oh yeah some of em recognise me

ooh reg says some dolled up tottie with a liptick brain

yeah i grunt really suavely because i’m quite classy really

ooh reg i loved you with the wild raspberry bar she gushes

then her stupid husband breaks into our meaningful conversation

thats right reg the missus loves that ad …!

i immediately take a disliking to the man

its a shame his wife spent her money n life married to ‘im

when she coulda been with me for 5 minutes tonight

still i autograph her packet of virginia slims menthols

reg kilbey loves ya darlin’ i scrawl in tiny letters over the govt warning

xxx xxx

i walk away from em

i scowl n i growl in the dark

the sea all viscous n black like dirty oil in a crims motor

i dont care for the sea myself

you never catch old reg surfing the fucking billows

whats a fucking billow anyway

look you can take the boy outta london

but you cant take the london outta the boy

sydney australia big deal

i’m sharper than the lot of them

with my fucking sun tan n all

appearing on bloody telly too if you please

anyway seeing i know jonesys not at home

i nip round to say hello to his girlfriend

ooh reg she says going all funny as i stand at the door

ok listen this is where i came in ok

this is where the story begin

we back to the start ezzactly where we was before

reg k in universe 23 (a)

sophisticated as all harry

oh harry……

oh…….reg!

reg kilbey unemployed actor 56

i lead my life

i lead it around like a hound

i entered my life in a contest

i let my life go into hibernation tho there was a little sleep

the nineteen nigh-nties was a marsh

i hit it like a brick will

i was that guy in that film

that film about a dome

i was the main guy yeah it was a long time ago being

i was the one who said those now famous lines

now we will all burn……

i have a black n white still that i autographed for fans that i meet

i drive an old rover with a crack gasket n oilcase crank

i smoke a pipe full of pipe dream but it goes up in smoke

oh how the time blast past

this music i had made

i had had it made to order

to order around you see

around and around

the stars go round our moon you know

and black cats moan down my stylo-phone

and i circle the block as you took off your close

and i live in a place where there is no trace

its no thrace its no your embrace

lamb you know who i am

my house on the street where the 4 winds meet

my home on the range rover over the little hills

my hills hoist still warm n moist oh rejoice lamb

my cartesian symphony nymph oh you dream

you dream of my friend rex with his black dragon tattoo

oh i know you do oh i know you do

whats on the menu?

tree flesh fillets with caramelised love truffles

light serving of gods fresh air with garnish of willing fruit

sparkling holy wine w/water consecrated by nimrods daughter

turkish taboo with french kiss and english rain

morning surprise (from the night before)

bottomless cup of adams ale (one per customer)

selection of good n evil toffee apples

i order the surprise

i order it to piss off and surprise someone else

i get cranky when i read about all the stuff in the paper

all the stuff that isnt about me i mean

i mean i love to see old me in fine print

snapped at the airport by a fan then snapped at the fan at the airport

the fan snapped and i had a lawmansuit on my hands

i jumped in a cab and the driver knows me

‘ere its reg kilbey ! he says …where we off to ,reg…?

surry street crown hills i say flipping him a sovereign to shut up

i look out the window at the slinky women who were once black cats

they float thru their day like ether like fire like an invisible veil

if only they knew that its reg kilbey in here i smirk in the cab

but the slinky women do not know and they blow away down streets

i  jump out at nondescript doors i make my way through  past

at twilight the dining room is quite a silver sight for saw eyes

tranquility music is piped from afar

some thought wave analyser machine selects my mood swinging cool

i subscribe through a scheme that comes thru in reams

i ravish attention on lashings of cream and boy do i then dream

i sit in the dark where its peaceful and calm

i am unarmed lamb i am quite unharmed

i mean i still cant do anything with my limbos

theyre all akimbo

bimbo you must think me dim

i know you think of him

i know about your lucky whim

and your old friend kim who once fucked jim

talking of  sex makes you think of my friend rex

with his muscle or two

and his black dragon tattoo

his eyes cobalt blew

his gear kangaroo

his XL peru

his ATM yew

his triple star * brew

his chosen few why thats presumably you

wow

i wish i had

a black dragon tattoo

the church
“A Psychedelic Symphony”

Celebrating their 30th Anniversary At The Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

Ladies and gentleman – IMC in association with MAX are both excited and honoured to present this important and special news announcement, December 2010.

‘Johnny Marr hounded me to be in The Smiths. One night soon after, we (Johnny Marr & Mike Joyce) went to watch The Church and I decided I would’.
Mike Joyce / Johnny Marr – The Smiths, Mojo Magazine

To celebrate the milestone of their 30th Anniversary, the church, one of Australia’s and the world’s most prolific and creative bands will perform an exclusive concert with the magnificent George Ellis Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall on Sunday April 10th 2011. This tantalizing prospect will see Steve Kilbey, Peter Koppes, Tim Powles and Marty Willson-Piper perform a selection of their greatest songs in a unique ‘best of’ event that simply cannot be missed. Rapturous arrangements, rich tapestries, raw power and sublime beauty revealed in the aesthetic surroundings of an iconic architectural masterpiece

The recent induction into the 2010 ARIA Hall Of Fame, has allowed the band to reflect on their huge body of work as they continue to pursue their artistic aspirations both live and in the studio. Their last album
Untitled #23 on their own Unorthodox Records label was lauded by the press as the best of their career, attaining a 5 star review in Australian Rolling Stone. To mark the 30th Anniversary of the band, EMI have re released their first four albums, (with the next four to follow shortly) in luxury packaging with extra tracks, rare photos and detailed sleeve notes written by Marty Willson-Piper. A career spanning compilation is also available.

Alongside timeless classics such as ‘The Unguarded Moment’, ‘Under The Milky Way’, ‘Metropolis’ and ‘Almost With You’, the church continue to redefine what it is to be a band, evolving without compromise from hit makers into one of the world’s most acknowledged and inventive rock groups. With a combination of chemistry, talent and a desire for excellence, their unique and distinctive guitar sounds and thought-provoking lyrics have succeeded in inspiring both the audience and the critics’ imagination on a global level.

“A Psychedelic Symphony” will see George Ellis lead his orchestra into dynamic crescendos and sensuous odysseys. This ubiquitous conductor and musical director has worked a diverse range of projects highlights include the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games, the Athens Olympics, the Jakarta Arts Festival, and many concerts at the famous Spiegeltent. George has worked with a myriad of distinguished musicians including Lou Reed, Alex Lloyd and Augie March to name but a few. He has toured internationally to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and London. He has lectured at prestigious music institutions including the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the Canberra School of Music and has presented workshops in Music Theatre and Conducting for NIDA and the Australian Society for Music Education. He is the Musical Director of the Sydney University Symphony Orchestra.

“A Psychedelic Symphony” is a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the music of the church
as they celebrate their illustrious 30-year career at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall,
Sunday April 10th 2011.

Tickets on sale December 10th 2010 from the Sydney Opera House or Ticketek

http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/whatson/the_church.aspx

www.thechurchband.net
www.myspace.com/thechurchbandofficial
www.facebook.com/thechurchband
www.twitter.com/thechurchband
www.georgeellis.com.au

Accommodation options online :

http://www.wotif.com/hotels/australia-sydney-hotels.html

http://www.booking.com/

http://www.ratestogo.com.au/

Special live acoustic performance by Steve Kilbey, Peter Koppes and Tim Powles on “Evenings” with Robbie Buck. Tune in to ABC Sydney 702 tonight (Tues 7/11/10) from 20:40PM EST for two songs live and an interview.

Marty Willson-Piper will be featured in a two-part interview for ‘The Piano Drinkers’ show, on 3d Radio 93.7 Adelaide. The first part airs on 8th December from 7:15AM, SA (7:45AM EST) and listen in for the second part on 15th December at the same time.

Link: http://media.on.net/radio/137.m3u

Tim Powles will be chatting to  Mateo Szlapek-Sewillo on Wednesday 8th December. Tune in to ‘The Range’ Show on Radio Adelaide 101.7FM. Tim will be on air at 16:30PM, SA (17:00PM EST) during soundcheck.

Link: http://radio.adelaide.edu.au/listenonline/

Marty Willson-Piper will be talking to Luke Demetriou on PBS 106.7FM’s “Everything Moves” Show. Tune in from 7:00PM EST on Tuesday 14th December 2010.

Link: http://listento.pbs.org.au/live/

Marty Willson-Piper will be chatting to Neil Rogers on RRR 102.7FM’s “The Australian Mood” Show. Tune in from 8:00PM EST on Thursday 16th December 2010.

Link: http://www.rrr.org.au/programs/streaming/

Steve Kilbey  talking to Genevieve Jacobs on ABC Canberra’s “Afternoons”. Tune in at 14:10PM EST on Thursday, 2nd December 2010

Link: http://www.abc.net.au/canberra/includes/winstream.asx

You’ll be able to listen them stream live over the net.

saturation of glow

skull still reverberating in reddish pulse

lights come off n on at the periphery

stranded in some troubled sleep

isolated insulated dragged down the whirly pool

an alarm goes off

the steady australian rain

sydney like a bedraggled tart wincing in the deluge

man life sure is strange

there is magic but its not what you expected

power which weakens

knowledge that punches you stupid

things get faster here on earth

my life picks up speed racing towards its flashy full colour climax

the mirrors fog up i cant see them myself

wound up

all exhausted

i read a review of a guy called kilbey and some record from the eighties

i cant feel anything for this cat

i dont wanna hear his record

i got  lotta thoughts but no idea

a lotta ideas but no plan

a lotta plans but none of em gonna work

its night now its really raining

a lorry lumbers in the distance like a bear

the cafes shut early

the  cockroaches scurry for shelter

a bird gets trapped in the house

some rumbling sound like thunder i cant tell what

lights in distant houses glow like blurry stars

the mobile phone purrs and flashes

only 2 fish left in the tank now

cars in the garage getting fixed

come n get it tomorrow the bloke said on the phone

i bought some ginger wine to warm me up

its summer tomorrow but inside i freezing

scoff a load of chocky biscuits dipping em in strong coffee

marvellous sense of detachment creeping in

ooh having my holiday at home now

sometimes life is good and bad and everything at once

a bug in my wine i spat it out

the sky is a strange weird blue

i feel ok

yeah

i feel ok

invocation to ganesha

swim n sleep n do yoga

i stare at old ganesha on the wall

i listen to david neil again

boy ricky is above all else a great drummer

me…..i cant play em at all

man its a good record tho

twisting and turning

if david neil had never existed it was necessary to invent him

hes a fragile type verging on one disaster after another

its all here on this record

the wilderness years

the house seems big empty n quiet today

not in a bad way

i can do anything i like

i walk around in my red undies

wow what a rebel what a wild man

i listen to radha krishna temple album on the apple label

i watch the rain fall down on bondis empty streets

the rain fills the flyscreens with silver jewels

the rain whispering pattering testing rolling falling

the rain been with me forever

the rain blowing this way n that

rushing in gutters flooding the slippery streets

rain rain go away ….

the houses look deserted

the gardens are luxuriantly moist all turned on by the rain

the rain giving the flowers all its attention

the rain sliding down the stamens and stems

the rain comes down on the garden

on a black black night become one with the rain

rain oh rain

i hide in my room

i shut the door tho theres no one home

the clouds so thick i cannot see the harbour bridge

thick black coffee

rose incense

unread letters

unfinished work

masks on the wall watching every move

pictures of the girls

3 bananas and a lemon

drawings by the girls

the red clock tick tick but never tock

a day in the life of a day

must trim my beard

must do some work

must make some calls

must walk around in my red undies from room to room

my thoughts never coalescing

my day never coming together

my day someone elses day

my rain someone elses rain

everybodys rain

nobodys rain

nobodys rain falling for free

forever today

free fall

complete

free fall

http://www.ravemagazine.com.au/content/view/24150/30/

“MARTY WILLSON-PIPER chats with DERMOT CLARKE about keeping things vital after thirty years of writing and performing with the church.

the church have never easily fit into any of the established canons of Australian popular music. Their history is one of stand-alone independence, where their existence over the past three decades has stood apart from contemporary Australian independent rock outfits.

“the church were a band who were outside of everybody,” Marty states, “because we were never in the indie set and we were never in the corporate commercial set.”

The band recent decision to commemorate their thirty years of music industry survival with a retrospective acoustic tour was capped off nicely by an induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame. This award was received in a tongue-in-cheek manner by Steve Kilbey, whose ten-minute acceptance speech had a Ricky Gervais feel about it, peppered with subtle barbs.

“Steve does that, sometimes. It’s hard to get meaning out of an award. You know what the ARIAs is like? It’s like a massive exaggerated version of somebody coming backstage and saying ‘hey guys I really like your band’, but without the drugs,” Marty says.

This unaffected attitude reflects the ephemeral nature of their creative output, as well. With Steve and Marty’s kind of Hawkwind-inspired method of jamming things out until songs take some form that they’re happy with, being able to define what they’ve come up with has proved evasive.

“We fall through the cracks of it all,” states Marty. “It means something that’s got some kind of lyrical intrigue, some kind of unfathomable mood, something that will take a left-turn without you expecting it, and fits into mainstream very rarely and sorta stands outside conventional genres.”

Such a sliver of insight hasn’t come cheaply. While smarting from the outside pressure that came from the high sales of 1988’s Starfish, they adopted an attitude while recording Priest = Aura in 1990 that they’ve stuck to ever since.

“If you’re on your way down, whatever you do, do not try to float yourself back to the top by doing something accessible. That record, instead of it backfiring on us it actually made us survive, because it showed that in times of adversity what we were actually interested in was the art and music. We’re lucky, because although we’re not flush, we have the legacy and we’re still creative now. We’ve managed to maintain a discerning audience and keep them interested.”

Such an audience will have a chance see the church perform a very specific set-list with an acoustic set-up, which Marty is adamant will be a once-only tour.

“We had the idea that to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary we might not want to go for all the bombast of a big electric tour around the world,” Marty explains.

“We decided to do it low-key, but what’s actually happening is that the shows are all selling out. I had this idea that we should play a song from each album in reverse chronological order, so you get an overview of the whole thirty years. Because what happens with us is when we play a set we end up playing two songs from one album, three from another… sometimes we’ll miss out on ten albums. This was a way of playing something from each album.”

http://anotherlostshark.com/2010/11/28/electricity-atmosphere-an-evening-with-the-church/

Electricity & Atmosphere: an evening with The Church

“Last night at The Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts, a packed house walked out into the still-warm night, with their synapses well and truly lit. In the 2 and a half hours that had passed, The Church had hand picked the soundtrack to the last 30 years of our lives.

For me, the long-term memory was in overdrive… I have not missed the band in QLD (and have traveled many times interstate) since 1990, when I donned my green, pink and black paisley shirt (that one still hangs in the cupboard), black stovepipe Lee’s and Ripple-sole shoes and stepped excitedly into Transformers (on Elizabeth St., now some British Pub I think…) to see The Church supported by another local hero of mine, Grant McLennan. Memories like this were constantly flashing through my head last night as the band played a song from each album in their heady career, starting with Pangaea from last year’s Untitled #23, which recalled a hellishly steamy November night at The Zoo, when the band tore through an epic set to launch the album.

Then it is the fluid groove of Space Needle from Uninvited Like the Clouds (2006), that fires up memories of a night at The Troubadour, where we all walked out smiling with a copy of the limited edition album Tin Mine in our hands, followed by Ionian Blues from the seriously underrated Back With Two Beasts album, which never really got an official release.

We then get a language lesson from the ever dapper Marty Willson-Piper as the band dips into El Momento Siguiente and pulls out the gem that is Reptile. Even in stripped back, acoustic mode, Kilbey’s bass line snakes its way into your chest to delivers its venom.

Peter Koppes then takes the mic for Appalatia from Forget Yourself followed by the timeless opening riff of Unguarded Moment from the first of their acoustic albums, El Momento Descuidado. The band are well into their stride and Kilbey is in raconteur mode, regaling the crowd with stories of playing Warnambool and the manager racing upstairs after a gig to tell them to get back on stage as the crowd were rioting as they had not played said song.

We are then treated to the epic Invisible from After Everything Now This, with the band rising to a glorious crescendo and Kilbey riffing on Kevin Ayers’ Decadence, which the band covered on A Box of Birds, followed by the lush guitar sounds of Louisiana from 1998’s, Hologram of Baal. An album that has a very special place in my heart… the first time I heard this album I was to say the very least, ‘relaxed’, and it has forever worked its way into my fabric.

The mid-to-late 90?s was undoubtedly a difficult period in the band’s history and Kilbey is not backward in introducing Magician Among The Spirits as a miserable album, but tonight’s version of Comedown is absolutely joyous. The first half of the set is then rounded out by My Little Problem from Sometime Anywhere… and I am back in 1994 at Grand Orbit (what a shortlived venue that was), excitedly watching Steve & Marty in acoustic mode, thankful that they were still making music after threatening to split a couple of years earlier.

The second half of the show opens with the gorgeous Mistress from my all time favourite Church album, Priest = Aura. After seeing the band tour on this album at the now sadly defunct Metropolis (I think the last time I saw Kilbey play his famed milk-white electric bass), I wondered whether I would ever see them again, which makes tonight even more special. And speaking of Metropolis, this song followed, with Marty giving it some Spanish flair.

It was at this time (with tongue firmly in cheek) that Kilbey started to discuss the success graph of the band and the next album, 1988?s Starfish, definitely saw the graph skyrocket. And tonight they give us a classic version of the anthemic, Under the Milky Way. To put it simply… Starfish got me through Year 12. In the head of a 17 year old at odds with the societal pressures of school and becoming a man, Starfish provided much needed solace. Can’t ever thank them enough for what it did for me.

Then it’s headlong into the paisley era of Heyday. The set list has had its surprises, but none bigger than Already Yesterday, which after some on stage chatter, they agree, they may never have played before this tour. It sparkles, still possessing a youthful shimmer.

The Remote Luxury LP is next and this time it’s Marty’s turn to take the lead vocal, on 10 000 Miles Away. The 3 strong guitar/mandolin sound is sublime, stirring the crowd for the final numbers of the night.

From Seance its the sublimely gothic Fly and then its straight into another Church classic, Almost With You from their second album, The Blurred Crusade. Peter’s guitar solo is as sharp as ever. Anyone that hasn’t played air guitar along to this just hasn’t lived!

And finally, we are back in 1980, delving into Of Skins and Hearts. We know it’s not going to be Unguarded Moment, so it is a real thrill when the band lock into the slick bass groove and jangly guitar of Tear It All Away. It’s a classic way to finish off 30 years of time travel…

But the band are incredibly generous, coming back to treat us to a cover of The Smashing Pumpkins song, Disarm, a rocking version of Space Saviour and finally a full-tilt jam of their 1990 classic, Grind. This has always been a live favourite and tonight they don’t disappoint. Steve and Tim, providing the rhythmic engine, for Peter to lay down a luxurious bed of keys and for Marty to cut loose (I am sure he was finding new notes on the fretboard), before tonight’s journey reaches its conclusion.

Great art is an amazing thing… it changes you, becomes part of you, so while tonight’s show is over, the life of each of these songs (and the countless others that weren’t played) have taken on a new meaning. I know my stereo at home  (and in the car) is about to become very familiar (again) with the atmosphere and electricity of The Church… ah yes, there are many new memories to be created.” – G. Nunn

knight template

second sold out show at judith wright centre

finds the church relaxed and bopping on

things even out a little more

the gears start to lock into place

people remember bits and pieces that

are the icing on the songs cake

a flourish here

a tap there

a harmony a note a cymbal splash

i start to get into my songs characters

i try to imagine whos singing this song n why

i try to imagine whos listening

the bass becomes easier to play

my voice seems to linger in the air with less effort

oh how lovely to jam with jordens fantastic mixing

i hear my voice drift round the room in reverb

hanging there

and i can play around with it from the stage

just by giving more breath or more throat

the bass sounds big soft n warm

the way i like my bass to sound

my bass is a cushion for the song to sit in

the guitars and piano  are like the scenery and props

the drums are the songs engine

the words describe nebulous events

ideas

feelings

they are colours they are clues

clues to what oh i dunno

the song has no purpose except to make you feel good

how it does that even an old hand like me doesnt know

some voice told me to write songs

some voice i cant explain

my dad played the piano

my mum liked words

somehow that got mixed up in me

i saw the beatles i said fuck

i saw bobby dylan i said fuck

i saw rolling stones ditto

bolan n bowie ditto ditto

i go away for a while

when i come back i turned into myself

a voice says now

with all those aforementioned geezas in mind

go write some decent fucking songs

and at 16 i started

eventually i wrote something halfway decent

and bang thirty years flashes past

and we could do 20 nights at judy wrights

n never repeat one bloody song

and

whats more

theyd all be fairly topnotch songs

and the band ‘d do em proud

the guys are playing well you gonna enjoy this

all but 2 gigs now sold out on this tour

thanks that makes me feel good actually

we go up n down in popularity

but ok as long as its still possible to go up

yeah we played a pretty good show

i get on a roll with my jokes

at other times the spirit of comedy deserts me entirely

i definitely need to keep persevering

i could be a bit of a comic with a little more work

god suddenly i feel like i want to be good at everything

i want to serve my fellow human beings

by giving em a damn good show

wanna make em smile n cry too

and everything in between

yeah its gonna be a good tour

yesterday i went to eumundi market opposite joes w hole

i  got a foot reflexology from wendy sugars : highly recommended

boy i felt fucking stoned after that like i’d had a bag of real good drugs

i bought a wonderful painting of a caravan that was too cheap

125 bucks for an incredible original  piece of work

i bumped into my brother russell n amy  his missus n marlon my nephew

that wazza surprise

i bought 2 new hats

and i bought a cigar box guitar for 450 but the guy gave me a 600 one

a guitar with 3 strings made outta a cigar box well whattya know

played with a bottleneck and things on yer fingers (i havent got them yet)

some voice said buy this thing

i havent bought a guitar for years n years

so now im trying to learn to play it

its a lotta fun too

i’m gonna bring it out on stage as soon as i can play something good

meanwhile its a warm rainy night

skyped kids in sweden theyre good

ok

thats it

canberra n sydney next

much love

sk