Nick cave and the Bad Seeds, Brighton Dome, October 2013.

So… almost 20 years on from the release of Live Seeds, the album which got me into Nick cave, I finally got to see him/them.

There aren’t many artists I have come to through a live album, but nothing unusual there for Nick Cave to prove the exception.

And exceptional it was. Despite Live Seeds Blixa and Mick being absent from the current line-up this lived up to everything I hoped it would be and more. Helped in no small part by them playing 5 tracks from the Live Seeds album.

Both of my other big gigs this year have been stadium concerts with 20,000+ seating affairs, and both were as excellent as two hours seated uncomfortably can be. For the Bad Seeds at the much more intimate Brighton Dome I chose standing tickets. And being a Brightonian we were there sufficiently early to see the support act, Shilpa Ray and the Happy Hookers.

The Happy Hookers were missing and she was the only one on stage as the auditorium filled but her mix of PJ Harvey meets Joplin was worth seeing. The other advantage to being Brightonian was we secured “our spot” three or four from the front, centre stage.

I’d had an IPA and a couple of G&Ts by the time Shilpa finished her set and was just debating whether or not to go for a pee, when The Bad Seeds followed by Mr Cave came on stage. I decided to hold it.

Bad decision…no one told me they were going to play a two hour set.

If it was two hours, despite the strain on my bladder, it flew by. With Jubilee Street being the opening number and then straight into Abbattoir Blues.  The eclectic mix present of quite young and quite old loved it. By the time they commenced the eight minute long Higgs Bosun Blues I was already regretting my decision and was blissfully unaware we were only a third through the set.

I have to say, I am sad not to have seen Blixa and Harvey but the current line up would give anyone a run for their money from the violin bow eschewing Warren Ellis to the, even out-modding Bradley Wiggins, Martyn P Casey.

My personal highlights were… Hiding All Away, Nobody’s Baby Now, (Are You) The One That I’ve Been Waiting For?, From Her to Eternity, Babe, You Turn Me On, Push the Sky Away, Deanna  and Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry all of which would make a pretty fine album on their own.

But I guess that is the thing with NCATBS. To highlight any one tune is a disservice to any of the others. And in the same way I would pay to see the Bad Seeds even without Cave (perish the thought though). And although you’re sorry to see one band member go their own way…but then look at the talent that fills the hole.

Leaving the Dome afterwards I reflected on nice though it is travelling to a European Capital to see some of the bands I have seen this year I am also very lucky to be able to see nights like this in my own city, at this point I left Church Street and entered Jubilee Street where my ride home was waiting for me. I’m sure this is where I came in.

Here’s the set list…

Jubilee Street
Abattoir Blues
Tupelo
Sad Waters
Stranger Than Kindness
Hiding All Away
Nobody’s Baby Now
Mermaids
Higgs Boson Blues
(Are You) The One That I’ve Been Waiting For?
From Her to Eternity
Babe, You Turn Me On
West Country Girl
Stagger Lee
The Mercy Seat
Push the Sky Away

Encore

We Real Cool
Deanna
Red Right Hand
Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry
Fucking Slow song (his words not mine)

Nick Cave…you are making me feel old!

Straight off the bat I have to make you aware of a few things. I am no oil painting: Glasses help the deficient vision, too much gigging has given me tinitus, I am bald and the belly has paid the price for my delictation of a cold beer.

And I’m not saying here that Monsieur Cave is a gargoyle. However, I got into Cave and the Bad Seeds just prior to the release of their Live Seeds album. So, that would be 1992/1993. Let’s call it 15 years.

And at the time Cave looked like this.

yeah, we knew this man had a taste for the wilder side of life and dabbled in the occasional spot on unprescribed medication. But after all he’s a “rock and/or roller”, and who hasn’t puffed, popped or poured in their time.

Anywho, it’s 2008 and Cave’s latest album, Dig Lazurus Dig,  is out and the other night I saw him on the TV promoting it …looking like this.

Holy Cheeses! gone is the debonair, bohemian young soul rebel. Replaced by what now resembles a Moldovan porn flick director. And I don’t mean one of those “classy” high budget pornos, I mean one of those 20 minute “was she drugged into doing that” type of affairs.

Anyway, I don’t think Messr. Cave is one to judge a book by it’s cover and certainly won’t be concerned by his appearance. But what troubled me was how in the time I have admired his music he seems to have aged so much.

The hair on top of his head is going and seems to be being over compensated for by a lousy tache. And then it struck me. Cave is becoming Crosby.

David, rather than Bing that is.

So, by the time Cave’s next album comes out we could be expecting

Personally, I feel it would be an improvement on what we have at present.

Nick, we love you man, glad to have you in Brighton, still love the sound, but please lose the pornographer’s ‘tache.