The Church plots ‘An Intimate Space’ 30th anniversary acoustic tour of U.S.

Australian rockers The Church are set to return to North America in April and May for “An Intimate Space,” a special 30th anniversary tour that will find the veteran band performing unplugged — and running through three decades’ worth of material in reverse chronological order.

The band this morning officially announced 19 dates for the tour — its second round of U.S. shows in less than a year — with the promise of “more to be added in the coming week.” The tour, at the moment, spans an April 2 show in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., to a May 1 concert in Atlanta, Ga. (See tour dates below.)

According to the band’s website, the “An Intimate Space” acoustic concerts will feature songs spanning the band’s three-decade-long career, from its 1981 debut, Of Skins and Hearts, up through last year’s Untitled #23. But there’s a twist:

“In a unique and unusual execution, the band will choose one song from each of their considerable album releases and perform them in reverse chronological order. This original show will have the fans gliding softly down through the years, opening with a track from their latest album, Untitled #23, before embarking on a fantastic voyage through time ultimately arriving at their first Australian album, Of Skins and Heart, where it all began.”

As an added bonus, ticketholders to each of the “An Intimate Space” shows will receive a free copy of Deadman’s Hand, the third EP released in conjunction with Untitled #23. The disc “will include the title track and unreleased tracks from the band’s secret vault.”

UPDATE 2/25/10: The band today announced Somerville, Mass., and Norfolk, Va., dates.

See the Church’s tour dates after the jump…

The Church tour dates:

April 2: The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano, CA
April 4: Anthology, San Diego, CA
April 5: The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA
April 6: Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
April 8: Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR
April 9: Showbox, Seattle, WA
April 13: Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis, MN
April 14: Majestic Theatre, Madison, WI
April 15: Park West, Chicago, IL
April 17: The Winchester, Cleveland, OH
April 18: The Magic Bag, Ferndale, MI
April 19: Club Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA
April 21: Arts at the Armory, Somerville, MA
April 22: City Winery, New York, NY
April 23: YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, Bay Shore, NY
April 24: Sellersville Theater 1894, Sellersville, PA
April 25: The State Theatre, Falls Church, VA
April 27: Rams Head on Stage, Annapolis, MD
April 28: The Norva Theatre, Norfolk, VA
May 1: Center Stage, Atlanta, GA

PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS

• The Church releasing new ‘Operetta’ EP, reissuing ‘Back With Two Beasts,’ ‘Shriek’
• New releases: New studio albums from The Church, Meat Puppets
• The Church issues new ‘Untitled #23′ album, plots summer tour of U.S.