J Church consists of Marty Willson-piper (guitars, vocals), Peter Koppes (guitars, vocals), Steve Kilbey (bass, vocals), Tim Powles (drums).
This article is about the Rock band. For other uses of the word, see Church (disambiguation). The Church Steve Kilbey Marty Willson-Piper Tim Powles Peter Koppes (from left to right)
The Church are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially linked in with neo-psychedelic acts of the period, their music later became largely defined by the interplay of guitarists Marty Willson-Piper and Peter Koppes coupled with the abstract lyrics of bassist/singer Steve Kilbey. Their debut album, Of Skins and Heart ( 1981), earned them their first radio hit "The Unguarded Moment". They were originally signed to EMI's Parlophone label, but record company dissatisfaction led to them being dropped overseas, which limited their exposure early on.
After signing to Arista in 1988, they saw their largest international success with the album Starfish and the American Top 40 hit "Under The Milky Way." Subsequent commercial success proved elusive, however, and the band weathered several line-up changes in the 1990s. The original three founding members now continue to produce music and enjoy a significant cult fanbase.
The Church has undergone several line-up changes over the years. The core members of Steve Kilbey, Marty Willson-Piper and Peter Koppes have basically gone unaltered, save for the brief departure of Koppes in the mid- 1990s. The current members are: Steve Kilbey (b. 13 Sep 1954): bass and lead vocals Marty Willson-Piper(b. 7 May 1958): guitar Peter Koppes (b. 21 November 1955): guitar Tim Powles: drums
Previous members include: Nick Ward: drums ( 1980- 1981) Richard Ploog: drums ( 1981- 1990) Craig Hooper: keyboards on Persia ( 1984) Jay Dee Daugherty: drums ( 1990- 1993)
From the early 1970s, Steve Kilbey and Peter Koppes had played in several glam rock bands in Sydney, Australia. In April 1980 they formed a three-piece with Nick Ward on drums and began performing. After Marty Willson-Piper (hailing from Liverpool) joined them, they took the name 'The Church'. Allegedly, the name was chosen largely because it was unclaimed, but later allusions to the band's spiritual interests by Kilbey hint at it being less than coincidental. At the time, technically, only Koppes was a fully-developed musician. Kilbey was an erratic bass player and Willson-Piper was still searching for his style on guitar.