Apart from setting off a week early due to slipping through some kinda Church generated time hole, then on the actual night, the kids who live below me hid my ‘one’ pair of boots, leaving me searching frantically for them as the perilous journey to a place called Revesby, out in western sydney became more and more complex and fraught with obstacles. It was some sort of traffic long weekend police jamboree so I drove in a disciplined manner aware that with one point left on my license I better be vigilant, but I could already feel my excitement, spreading through my body which meant three toilet breaks, and seizing the opportunity to ask directions from friendly service station attendants who didn’t even know what country they where in let alone the way to Revesby. Old Captain Mission in a final act of desperation used the force, homing in on Church Radar I eased my way South West towards the venue. Revesby is well outta my comfort zone, I inhabit the Northern beaches of Sydney, very rarely leaving the proximity of the ocean, and here I am in some strange landscape filled with KFC fast food burger joints, car yards and huge freeways, motorways and a road I hope will get me there on time. Remarkably I find myself entering Revesby at exactly 7.30. I pull over and ask some one where the Revesby RSL is, but everyone I ask shakes their head, ‘No. No RSL in Revesby but there is a working mans club.' Revesby Workers, no, that’s not the place I convince myself, thinking off a workers club as a little shed in Northern England filled with men playing darts and smoking roll ups, drinking stout. I see a sign for RSL and follow that 2ks out of town, there’s a nice little RSL tucked away off the beaten track. I park and run in, only to find that this is not Revesby RSL. Again I am pointed to the Workers Club. So in a desperate attempt to find the venue I drive back, park and find that I am in a huge complex, massive, like a mall that’s also a small modern indoor town. It’s very plush and hundreds of people in well presented uniforms are rushing towards me to welcome me. Alas, no its to inform me I can’t come in as I am not dressed appropriately. My sleeves are cut from my old 'church acoustic' T Shirt.

‘But I bought a ticket.’ I protest, no one explained that I needed to be in a sleeved shirt, I look at all the women who where wearing sleeveless shirts inside, by this time I’m frantic, ‘Look I’ll go in and buy a t shirt from the band.’

Everyone seems happy with this, including myself. In we go, and the Workers club is like the titanic, hundreds of people milling about, moving around from restaurant to bar, escalators all over the place, music leaking through the walls, I imagine that one day space travel will be like this, people will cruise in huge Mall type structures, gambling and getting drunk, humanity makes first contact. intelligent life in space, well one can live in hope, I can hear the sublime intro to ‘Never Before’ and clutch my chest, no please, no more obstacles. Then I realise I didn’t pick up my ticket at the front desk.

Fortunately I am hearing the sound check, it’s a closed door so I amble back down to get my ticket and taunt the uniforms in my sleeveless shirt.

Well the set was amazing, it looked as if there were a few sound issues, some technical peculiarities towards the start but things went from amazing to mind blowingly brilliant. It was just one of those shows, ‘hey wait, aren’t they all with you Capt’ I hear ya say. Yes its true I am terribly subjective when it comes to the crunch, but this was an amazing show because the audience were so good, really responsive and appreciative and the band just shone. Plugged in The Church move through aural sculptures ambient and latent sonic landscapes that can’t help but suck you along into their vortex and carry you away.

I didn’t take my camera tonight and just soaked up the atmosphere and it was beautiful atmosphere in the workers club, from the choice of songs the highlights that i recall are : Saturation, Iona Blues, Reptile, Is this where you live, Easy, Pure Chance, Never Before, Day 5, Tommorow, Block, Unguarded Moment, ripple, destination, myrrh, grind, shadow cabinet, numbers, I'm sure i left out a few,
they played a good length and some of the into's and outro's were amazing, very expansive, ambient and moments of rock and roll beauty. I've missed out a few songs but i'm sure that gives you a taste.
This is quality musicianship individually and as a synergy of the band. I sat down the front watching a diverse mix of people, all mesmerized by the beauty of this music. Steve’s playing was brilliant, those base notes filled the night like languid points of light and the two guitars feeding of one another in symbiotic communion. But for me tonight the most amazing quality that held everything together, was Mr. Tim Powles. His rhythms were so magnetic and held such a gravitational pull I could feel everything being sucked in towards them. Highlights – I can’t really say there was a highlight, it was all excellent, perhaps the highlight was the fact here’s my favourite band on this planet playing together, evolving after 26 years and I know that they haven’t even peaked yet, the best is yet to come. you can see all that potential overflowing. There were some beautiful harmonies and lovely ambient sounds created, often leading into or out off songs. In many ways I am always very upset that the church never get the recognition they deserve from the music media in Australia, however at the same time, part of me is selfishly glad, that there’s something intimate when you see them that I fear would be lost, something special and meaningful..But don’t take my word for it, go see the Magnetic Strip Tour yourself. Plugged in, tune in, turn on, trip out.