It’s Sunday night in Sydney, and we’re all off to Church. But tonight’s service comes with a 30-piece orchestra, a healthy dose of psychedelia and some of the finest songs in Australian rock history.

The Church are presenting A Psychedelic Symphony, an ambitious reworking of their extraordinary back catalogue alongside the George Ellis Orchestra. And for a band whose music has always occupied a space somewhere between the earthly and the otherworldly, the orchestral treatment feels entirely appropriate.

Led by the ever-enigmatic Steve Kilbey, The Church have spent more than four decades carving out their own corner of Australian music, their atmospheric guitars, hypnotic rhythms and cryptic lyrics earning them a devoted international following.

Tonight, familiar favourites are given a grand orchestral makeover. The addition of sweeping strings and rich arrangements brings fresh dimensions to songs that have already stood the test of time. The Church have just released a new album, Lacuna a follow up to 2024’s Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars.

The Church have never been a band content to stand still, and A Psychedelic Symphony demonstrates just how much room there is to explore within their remarkable catalogue.

Sunday night at Church has rarely sounded quite so grand.

Images Deb Pelser

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