Oddly, the scattergun approach of Church's television series offered some sort of a hint to the main problem. That very American eclectic mix of chat and skits revolved around her engaging personality, but the inexplicable rule that such shows must be hosted by men (the sainted Orpah apart) meant she would never be allowed to challenge Ross, Norton and Carr.
As vocalist with a band that features partner Jonathan Powell and another four plaid-shirted strangers to barbers, it is not so much that Church has gone off in a new direction but seems to be trying to head in several different ones all at once. So the vaguely nu-goth sound detectable on their first EP in songs like Beautiful Wreck and How not to be surprised when you're a ghost gives way to a full-on prog assault on the newer numbers, one still untitled and another, Glitter Bombed, one of the highlights of the set. With Powell swapping his guitar for an electric violin, it was not too much of a stretch to see Church channelling Sonja Kristina in a Curved Air for the 21st century at times.
With much changing of instruments across the band and the singer stabbing at a laptop and looping her voice to provide her own back-ups, there was a sense of the musical adventure playground in the sextet's joy in being in Tuts, though. And wearing a top and eye make-up that referenced Cleopatra was a nice touch.
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