artist profile

Drummer Tim Powles is a vital player in the band and has been taken to heart by fans since gradually joining from 1994 onwards. It could be said that he grew into the band, rather than suddenly becoming a member.

Tim was born in Wellington, New Zealand and also lived in Western Samoa and France in his childhood. He drummed with the ‘New Zealand Youth Symphony Orchestra’ while at school as well as playing guitar and piano.

Later on he loaned his skills to the drum stool of many well-known Australian bands including: ‘Dragon’, ‘Rose Tattoo’, and ‘the Divinyls’.

Tim originally got involved by playing on the ‘Sometime Anywhere’ album, after getting a call from Russell Kilbey to come in and play as a hired hand. He first toured with ‘The Church’ after the recording of ‘Magician Among The Spirits’ in 1996, when they realised they were on to a good thing.

" I had a fairly un-cool musical beginning in Australia, having grown up in New Zealand and moved in 1981. ‘The Church’ were just beginning and they were one of the first bands I saw in Australia, playing in a pub just up the road from where I lived.

I was in a New Romantic band called ‘The Venetians’ and we ended up touring with ‘The Church’ a number of times. Their fans didn’t really like us but luckily the guys in the band themselves liked us as people and we always got on well. I got to know Steve, Peter, Marty and Richard reasonably well at the time."

As well as establishing himself as a worthy long-term successor to Richard Ploog, Tim has taken a key role in the band’s recording process, as producer of their last three albums to all intents and purposes.

" Through the 80’s I developed my engineering skills to the point where I can function as a professional recording engineer. I spend a large percentage of my time producing other bands in between working with ‘The Church’. Amongst others, I produced an ARIA nominated album for all girl power pop group ‘Skulker’ and an EP for ‘Stella 1-11’ . As well as this I have a side project called ‘Crackerbox’, through which I do many remixes and collaborations."

It’s true that Tim’s presence has helped stabilise the band’s line-up as well as encouraging a contemporary edge to the characteristic ‘Church’ sound in their recent recordings.

In many ways Tim was the right man at the right time for ‘The Church’ but he doesn’t like to over-estimate the role he played in keeping the band together during their uncertain mid-90’s period. He is probably also delighted that the band have finally got their own web-site.

" I think things like the fan-zines and the web-sites are the main reason why the band kept going. In a sense they enabled the fan-base to stay in touch to the point where the interest built up tells us it is still worthwhile to do what we do. I really believe that the recent past and near future has and will rely heavily on the on-line aspects."

Away from the band, Tim has released his own album under the name of ‘Tygs In Space’. Added to this, his CV includes playing on albums for ‘Jack Frost’, ‘The Refo:mation’, ‘Stephen Cummings’, ‘Margot Smith’ and ‘Grant McLennan’.

Tim came into the band to occupy the drum stool vacated by Jay Dee Daugherty, but he was more aware of the legacy of Richard Ploog.

" I don’t think there is any point in making comparisons between myself and Richard. He was a great drummer and definitely the right one for the band from the word go. I wouldn’t have been right at that time but I have worked very hard on producing the band and doing what I can to make sure things gel together both on and off stage.

I’m probably over qualified to just be the drummer in a band, but to be accepted in to such a credible and established band as ‘The Church’ is an honour for any musician."

Frank Donnelly © July 2001