Steve Kilbey solo songs and stories

STEVE Kilbey, frontman of post-punk legends The Church, will bring his solo show of songs and stories to Brunswick Heads on June 14.

In the intimate setting, Kilbey reveals all — he knows where the bodies are buried.

Along with tall tales and true stories, the prolific musician will recount his observations of the music business and his 45-year career in a stream-of-consciousness, cabaret-style performance.

“I’ve played the room before, and it was a marvellous gig that lives on in my memory,” Kilbey said about his return to the region.

“It’s a great vibe, and Brunswick Heads is such a beautiful town that I never knew much about before.

“I’ve changed it up a bit — it isn’t the same show I did last time. I talk about my collabs, solo records, and songs I wrote for other people, and in the second half, I play a selection of The Church.

“I try to give them a glimpse into my world. I think it’s funny. Well, it makes people laugh, at least.”

At 70, Kilbey has a packed schedule. His band retains a deep fan base, and The Church will shortly head to a 24-date US tour, followed by an almost sold-out 11-date Australian outing with more dates to be added.

“This will be the last solo show I do this year,” he said.

“I’ve been plunged into a million things. We’re doing big tours, and I’m doing a John Lennon thing.

“There’s a very busy year lined up, and not to put too fine a point on it, but I am getting old, so I might at any point drop dead or just retire.”

For Kilbey, storytelling is essentially the story, and as part of the generation living through the wild excesses of the 1980s, his take on life is eloquent and sardonic.

“I’m not just a bloke playing a bunch of songs,” he said.

“I try to give insight, keep it humorous, and I still look at it all from the perspective of a wide-eyed boy who once was just a school kid, wishing he could be a musician.

“And then, it happened, and I walked around the world doing all these crazy stupid, sometimes incredible, sometimes ridiculous, things.

“Like, wow, I’m playing in front of 200,000 people. Now, I’m sitting in a jail cell in New York.

“I was a debater once, so I start with a vague structure and then fill in the details as they come to me. Each show is very different to the last.”

For music fans interested in the Sydney pub rock explosion or Kilbey’s life and times — the addictions, the groupies, the managers, the roadies, the audiences and all the ‘stupid things that happened — there were a lot of them’, the show is full of rich recollections.

“There are a lot of musicians who had the same life as me, but as great as they might be on their instrument, not all of them have the same way of transmitting the stories,” he said.

“There are two ways you can look at that. Some would say ‘he mouths off a lot’, but others might say ‘he can really describe all the experiences’. All in all, it adds up to quite a story, I think.”

For tickets, visit brunswickpicturehouse.com/an-evening-with-steve-kilbey-the-church-14-jun