From the moment Nick Cave walked onstage there was a resolution of purpose and quiet intensity to his demeanour. He immediately addressed the audience with waves and locked eyes with those in the front row, as behind him the band dipped into Anthrocene. He bopped, he swayed, he crooned, muttering each phrase as if it were a message of grave importance that he needed to tell you – not you as a collective, but you individually, and you better have listened close.
This intensity didn’t waver from the first to the last song of the night. This was a hometown show before fans, friends and family, who – if they managed to abstain from standing – were surely on the edge of their seats.
After three songs from the dark and personal new album Skeleton Tree, Cave’s long-serving co-pilot Warren Ellis delivered the opening chords to the mesmerising description of a mirage that is Higgs Boson Blues. The song has become one of the highlights of every Bad Seeds show since Push the Sky Away was released four years ago and Cave immediately dropped from the lip of the stage onto the crowd barrier, singing intensely to fans, one by one. He reached for their hands, leant into them for support and pushed his face up against theirs.
The last two albums have showed a new way forward for The Bad Seeds, exploring an understanding of the power of breath between the notes, of silence between the howls. But when it was time to get loud, The Bad Seeds did so in an explosion of sound, moving together as a ferocious rock’n’roll machine, Cave spat out From Her to Eternity and Tupelo, seeming every inch the menacing gothic prince of days gone by.
Jubilee Street built upon a nimble groove and kicked into an up-tempo pace in its second half, a thrilling and unexpected move. Cave whirled manically across the stage declaring over and over “I am vibrating, I am flying, look at me now.”
After almost two hours, Cave left fans with the crazed narrative of Stagger Lee and the beautiful Push the Sky Away, his attention for the duration unwavering, his commitment total, his purpose resolute. With the current incarnation of The Bad Seeds sounding as immersed in the cause as any that have rallied under that banner, 33 years in, they are still exploring new ways to be at the top of their game.
Words by Alex Watts
Image by Zo Damge
Highlight: Higgs Boson Blues.
Lowlight: I have no complaints.
Crowd Favourite: Into My Arms got a big singalong.
