The Church will bring its tour marking the 30th anniversary of Starfish — make that the 31st anniversary now — back to the United States this spring for 22 more shows, at which the band will perform the 1988 record that broke the Aussie rockers in the U.S.
The band brought the first leg of its Starfish tour to the U.S. last October, and has since played the album at shows in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. The new round of U.S. dates opens April 11 in the Detroit area, and continues through a May 12 show in Sonoma, Calif. Tickets for all the concerts are on sale now.
The Church released Starfish in February 1988, with first single “Under the Milky Way” breaking into the U.S. Top 40, peaking at No. 24 on that chart and No. 2 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The follow-up single, “Reptile,” hit No. 27 on Mainstream Rock Tracks. The album did even better in the band’s native Australia, reaching as high as No. 7 on the album charts.
However, the Church lineup that recorded Starfish no longer exists. Drummer Richard Ploog left in 1990, while Marty Wilson-Piper parted ways with the band in 2013; the current lineup features drummer Tim Powles and guitarist Ian Haug in their places, joining mainstays Steve Kilbey and Peter Koppes.
See full dates — and hear “Under the Milky Way” and “Reptile” — below.
The Church ‘Starfish’ tour dates
April 11: The Magic Bag, Ferndale, MI
April 12: Town Ballroom, Buffalo, NY
April 14: Sellersville Theater & Washington House Hotel & Restaurant, Sellersville, NY
April 16: White Eagle Hall & Park, Jersey City, NJ
April 17: Rams Head On Stage, Annapolis, MD
April 18: The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA
April 19: Cat’s Cradle, Carraboro, NC
April 20: Terminal West, Atlanta, GA
April 22: Culture Room, West Palm Beach, FL
April 23: The Social, Orlando, FL
April 24: The Palladium at St. Petersburg College, St Petersberg, FL
April 26: The Heights Theater, Houston, TX
April 27: 3TEN Austin City Limits Live, Austin, TX
April 28: The Kessler Theater, Dallas, TX
May 1: Meow Wolf Santa Fe, Sante Fe, NM
May 3: Regent Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
May 4: Presqu’ile, Santa Maria, CA
May 6: Crescent Ballroom, Phoenix, AZ
May 7: Belly Up, Solana Beach. CA
May 9: Pappy & Harriet’s, Pioneertown, CA
May 10: Rio Theatre, Santa Cruz, CA
May 12: Gundlach Bundschu Winery, Sonoma, CA
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Watch: Teaser for new doc ‘Something Quite Peculiar: The Life & Times of Steve Kilbey’
- The Church sets 29-date North American tour in support of ‘Man Woman Life Death Infinity’
- Listen: The Church releases new song ‘Another Century’ off still-untitled next album
- The Church returns to the U.S. this summer for ‘limited run’ of concerts
- Watch: The Church’s Steve Kilbey covers The Cure classics ‘Pictures of You,’ ‘Love Song’
Not sure who this band is anymore. They have have lost the warmth and sole that they had before this line up change. The Yin and Yang of Marty and Steve will hopefully return someday.
I met up with Steve and the band in Cleveland. They were fabulous and treated every person there like they mattered. I’m sorry to this day that MYV decided they couldn’t gain the fame they deserved. I had to wait 30 years to meet them. As a flight attendant I’m sure I was on board with them more than once and was treated well in spite of their great talent.