The Lord may work in mysterious ways, but the original, outrageous, irreverent, and endlessly entertaining, Oh My God It’s The Church have had a monumental few years as a live act including a 2017 nomination for ‘Live Act of the Year’. Damian Robinson caught up with The Right Reverend Michael Alabama Jackson to find out more about the wild collective.
Hi Reverend, the OMGITC has a superb reputation as a live act, do you find that’s a help of a hinderance?
Well son I’m out in London now on the way to record some new material and it’s nothing but a help. We want every show to be a real blessing and our church services to be as tight as James Brown and the JB’s. We can take the pressure because we’re one of the best there is; we play music and we preach, you can’t get better than that.
Do you think Kanye heard about the services and wanted to get in on the act?
I do indeed. I think that everything I do Kanye tries to do it bigger and better. But you can tell him if he’s reading this that I’d be more than happy to have a preach-off. I can baptise 42 babies in 5 seconds; not even Kanye can match that.
You’ll be bringing the Service up to the Cluny, what can we expect?
We’re super excited to get back on tour and this year for lent I don’t want to give anything up, I want to take on more vices. So we’re going to have a blast and we’re going to bring that good time, funk and preaching right up to Newcastle. If you don’t sin then Jesus died for nothing, and that’s the message we want to bring.
The debut album ‘Genesis’ is out soon, what can we expect from that?
We’re recording it now and it’s going to be as wild as our live show; there’ll be rock and soul and preaching and funk and soul tied together and presented as a radio show. It’ll be quiet a weird record which fits with us and our desire to have fun and preach and spread the word.
And the new single ‘ Where’s my Hail Mary’s at?’ is out in time for the tour
That’s right, it’s a blessing and it’s as close to Beyonce as you imagine.
The Oh My God It’s The Church play the Newcastle Cluny on Thursday 23 April