paperback and ebook

I think it’s a real good read . . . I won’t cringe at all if I see it in a bookstore. Does this mean you can say authorised?—Steve Kilbey

For almost thirty years, the Church have crafted music that blends a rich variety of styles in a beautiful, multi-layered sound. They’ve encompassed pop, psychedelic, progressive, and straight-ahead rock, yet always remain distinctive, thanks to the inimitable vocals and lyrics of front man Steve Kilbey. 

Based on extensive interviews and featuring over 70 rare photographs, No Certainty Attached is the first full biography of Kilbey and his band. It charts their personal and musical ups and downs: the commercial heights of “The Unguarded Moment” and “Under the Milky Way,” the creative breakthroughs of the Priest = Aura album and Kilbey’s underappreciated solo work, followed by the band’s struggle to survive in the wake of bad business decisions and their singer’s drug indulgences. 

One obsessive American fan attempts to get to the heart of the story, abetted by Kilbey himself, his family, band members, and friends and foes alike. What emerges is a compelling portrait of an artist and a band clinging steadfastly to their muse in the face of external and internal obstacles—and the transformative power of the music they’ve created.

“The music of the Church helped to enrich my life in many ways. It certainly changed the life of Robert Lurie, who has written the definitive account of the Church and the life of its main protagonist, the ever creative and artistically complex Steve Kilbey. This is more than just a band biography; it’s also the personal journey of one Church fanatic, a journey to which we can all relate.”
—Ian McFarlane, author of Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop