Beth Orton supported by Oh Mercy's Alexander Gow played St Stephens Uniting Church in Sydney last night. Presented by Heavenly Sounds: a tour of churches & cathedrals. Photography by Pete Dovgan.

Monday night saw Beth Orton kick off her current Australian tour at St. Joseph’s Church in Subiaco, Perth. It was quite simply put an exquisite night of music, with Orton, despite fighting off a cold and jet lag, in fine form. Though as the night progressed it became quickly clear that church pews aren’t designed for comfort.

Beth Orton plays as part of the Heavenly Sounds concert series with Alexander Gow in Melbourne.

Heavenly Sounds tour of churches returns with British soul musician Michael Kiwanuka at St Stephens Uniting church in Sydney. Photos by Johnny Au.

After a six year hiatus from the music business, Beth Orton returned last year with her album Sugaring Season. We catch up with her ahead of her upcoming tour; part of Heavenly Sounds concert series, which will see her playing in some of Australia’s finest churches and cathedrals, to find out more about the album, that six year gap and how you go about playing a cathedral.

The only time when it is socially acceptable to get Stoned in a church...

As one half of the duo Angus and Julia Stone, Julia Stone has been the darling of the Australian blues and roots scene since they formed in 2006. The pair's humble roots growing up on the northern beaches of NSW have given them an indie appeal that has only grown as they have enjoyed more mainstream success. So far, that popularity has transferred to their respective solo projects with Julia releasing her debut solo album By The Horns in 2012. The collection of beautifully written songs are delivered by a performer who is honest, unguarded and, according to the singer herself, accepting of whatever comes her way in 2012.

Melbourne’s tram network was doing its job for once and I found myself blazing along Swanston Street. So when I arrived at St Michael's with an amazing amount of time to kill, I thought I could collect thoughts, do a bit of street press reading, and maybe mull about discovering some wonderful church architecture.

Seeker Lover Keeper tour rolled into Melbourne for two sold out shows at St Michael's. Non-Saint Michael Christian went along for confessional and to also take some photos of the trio and their support act, Mr. Henry Wagons.

Heavenly Sounds is a new initiative to place beautiful contemporary music in Churches and Cathedrals around Australia. In its first effort, the organisers sent Seeker Lover Keeper and special guests on a tour of 12 such venues around the country, selling out every show along the way. Tonight we found ourselves a third of the way through the journey, with the second and final performance at Sydney's St. Stephen's Uniting Church on Macquarie Street.

Heavenly Sounds is thrilled to announce the overwhelming response to their first foray into beautiful and historic churches and cathedrals.