STRANGERS ON THE SHORE
Taken from: Record (March 1985)
Written By: Mark Mehler
[There's a lot of non-Church stuff in this article, but what the the heck.]
NEW YORK - There may be an Australian invasion under way, but not all the soldiers reached the beach.
"It's a gloomy bloody world," says Steve Kilbey, lead vocalist/bassist of The Church, pacing these shores in support of the group's new album, Remote Luxury, on Warner Bros. The LP itself is somewhat melancholic, but not half so much as the U.S. reaction to The Church. Kilbey says the fall tour lost $11,000 a week. "I'm afraid in this country it's just not happening," he laments. "I don't know why. Right now I'm thinking about my girlfriend in Sweden."
On a cheerier note, Mark Kingsmill, the new drummer for Sydney, Australia's Hoodoo Gurus reports the band has settled into a touring groove. The Gurus, here to promote their U.S. debut, Stoneage Romeos (A&M;), enjoy the basic routine - "play all night, drive all day, day off now and then." The previous drummer, James Baker, left because he didn't like touring, says Kingsmill, who adds that the band feels particularly comfortable here because of the preponderance of trash culture, a staple of their music. "If you love trash," insists Kingsmill, "this is the place to be." No argument there.
Bernie Lynch, lead singer for the Eurogliders, who are products of Perth, Australia, says just about anyplace is better than Manila, where the band recorded an album a few years ago.
"A horrific experience," Lynch recalls, speaking long-distance from Down Under. "Manila's a violent, ugly place. We were lucky to get out alive. People were being gunned down within kilometers of the studio. The engineer, meanwhile, spoke no English. There was no equipment, no repair people, not one Marshall amp in the whole country!"
Look for the Eurogliders on the road this winter in support of their U.S. debut, This Island.