From: Michael Bromley
To: seance
Date: Wednesday, 17 May 1995 5:12PM
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Here's an old article from one of the Sydney papers i think
from early 1994...

PUNTERS CALL SHOTS IN KILBEY'S SOLO VENTURE
by Kathy McCabe

Musicians are constantly forced to tread the fine line between satisfying
the audience and pleasing themselves in live performance.

Therefore it is a brave musician who chooses to take him or herself out of
a comfortable environment and rely on the mercy of the punters.
Steve Kilbey downplays his brave move of choosing that his first ever solo
performances should be subject to audience requests.

"It will work as long as they request what I was going to play anyway",
he said in his usual deadpan fashion. "Nothing is worse than playing a
song that you don't know.  I tried it in Perth and got halfway through
a few and they collapsed in a miserable heap".

Any unusual requests during that first encounter?

"People kept yelling for a song I can't remember writing called F... Off"
he said.  "It's just something for fun really.  I miss the smell of the
greasepaint and the roar of the crowd."

Since his last live performances with The Church, Kilbey has worked fairly
constantly in his Surry Hills studio.

But little of that time has involved creating solo projects.  Kilbey has
found that at this point of his career, collaboration is his preferred
modus operandi.

"Two Sundays ago was the first time I sat in the studio and did
something on my own" Kilbey said.  "I felt lonely and missed not having
someone there to ask 'What do you think of this?'".  "So i think I've
pretty much moved into a collaborating mood and I can't see me writing
songs on my own much any more.  I know what I can do on my own and I
think that i need other people to get me going."

He has just finished producing Stephen Cummings' new album, and while
its release is a few months off, those in the know are crowing about
the results.

"Stephen's record company asked me if I wanted to produce it - he wanted
a bit of spaciousness and ambience in his record and I was pleased with
what he thought I could give him.  Stephen had such great songs and i
could hear what he wanted."

Also completed is the next album by The Church, which will be released
in May.  The enduring Australian outfit are now down to two members,
Kilbey and guitarist Marty Willson-Piper.

*Steve Kilbey plus Stephen Cummings and Penny Drops perform at the Three
Weeds in Rozelle tonight and tomorrow.

*********************************************

Still relevent i think.  I hope this ain't been typed in before.

later,
brom