OPENING pretty low-key with the atmospheric We No Who U R, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds burst into life with a re-worked version of Jubilee Street – both from the latest album.
A highlight of the night, the song started quite slowly, but as they steadily built up the pace and the sound, Warren Ellis threw down his guitar to play the violin for the outro. The noise of the feedback with him standing on an amp, battering away at his violin was absolutely brilliant.
Nick Cave was on good form, stalking about the front of the stage, dancing, shaking his hips suited and booted, grabbing the hands of people in the front rows. When they played Red Right Hand, he sang one of the verses to a bald guy at the front changing the third verse to suit his hair type. A touching moment, Cave returned to look for the said bald man to sing the last verse to him too.
There was a good mix of old and new songs. Mermaids from the latest album went down well, as did old favourites like Do you Love Me, Tupelo, From Her to Eternity and Hiding All Away.
The gig continued very dark, gothic and powerful, all of which perfect for Halloween. There was a quieter section of the gig, with Cave taking to the piano to play Into my Arms, People Ain’t No Good and a rare live outing for Watching Alice.
Stagger Lee was brilliant, Cave practically chucking himself into the crowd at one point. Then they finished as they started, with the low-key Push the Sky Away from the new album.
Endearingly telling the crowd, “Happy Halloween, every night is Halloween for me,” the band finished with a new song about a childhood sweetheart, Give Us a Kiss which proved to be a tender end to a blistering gig.
