Nick Cave – Den Haag – may 2015

So…living in Brighton some Nick Cave gigs are easier for me to attend than others and this works for me. As anyone who knows me well will tell you…deep down I’m very lazy. Imagine then my dismay when I discovered his solo 2015 tour included no hometown leg. I considered a visit to London, I saw my first live gig at the Royal Albert Hall (Dionne Warwick) so that appealed but the dates didn’t work for me and as none of the other UK dates really appealed I decided to go and see him in Berlin…that was until I forgot the tickets had gone on sale and by the time I remembered they were sold out. Copenhagen and a couple of other venues were on my shortlist but eventually I decided to couple a visit to the Den Haag leg of the tour with a friend of mines and my annual Amsterdam visit.

And for that reason I will add the following caveat immediately to this review. This concert was attended after two nights in Amsterdam…my version of events may differ from those of others and in fact of reality.

I had chosen to attend the Sunday date and leaving my friend in Amsterdam I got into Den Haag around lunchtime. An hours stumbling around eventually led to my hotel and I was delighted to realise the venue itself was just two doors away. A quick bath to cleanse away the Amsterdam filth and then a stroll to reconnoitre. I spotted the tour bus and then wandered off and found the “Not Out” bar for a few beers and a bite before the show. 10 mins from the venue and a bar I would heartily reccomend for their IPA, food and warmth of welcome.

Leaving the bar I returned to the hotel, changed and ventured out again, this time with ticket ensconced in pocket. As I went past the tour bus a second time I spotted Warren Ellis catching some last minute fresh air. Approaching him I wished him a great show, he declined a photo, but returned the sentiment…thus far, today was all coming to boil nicely.

Finding my seat in the Upper Balcony I realised I wouldn’t be needing my camera, the World Forum Conference Centre is a good enough venue, the sound quality was great and although no standing seats were sold the seating was spacious…accordingly the accompanying pictures aren’t mine.

Fashionably late Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Martyn P Casey, Jim Sclavunos and Toby Dammit took to the stage, Dammit a last minute stand In for Barry Adamson. With Cave ensconced at the piano for an opening of We Real Cool and The Weeping Song with the remaining band members unlit it was hard not to imagine you were viewing the album cover of The Good Son come to life. Both the opening numbers were deconstructed and stripped bare and this and Cave’s openess and good humour seemed to be the theme of the evening.

Having lulled the crowd into a conferencical (real word?) hush this was shattered with the latest version of Red Right Hand, greeted with the biggest cheer of the evening which was soon drowned out by Ellis and his first series of incredible feedback roar. By this time Cave himself has left the stage and is gingerly plucking his way through the audience, teetering above them on the backs of their chairs.

As I said, no standing tickets for this venue but as Cave launched into Brompton Oratory the number of those leaving their seats seemed to be growing. The audience seeing Cave finishing a dance/embrace/grope with one concertgoer they sensed their opportunity and as one the first 20 rows abandoned their seats and surrounded the main main in what resembled apostolic devotion. As Higgs Boson shakes the building a succession of devotees venture forward to see if they can answer the “Can you feel my heartbeat?” question.

Next up a live version of Mermaids. In previous reviews I have mentioned both my initial concern with Push The Sky Away’s suitability to a chilled lazy Sunday morning as well my realisation seeing the songs played live how wrong I was. Mermaids live with Ellis’ wild contribution is up there with Jubilee Street. A point noted by Cave himself “Warren, that was fucking awesome”.

By now the songs are coming thick and fast, personal favourites among them were The Ship Song, God Is In The House and Into My Arms…is it my imagination or has Cave used this tour to showcase not only his musical talents but also his latest psyche snapshot…if you combine the best of two albums; Push The Sky Away (7 tracks) and The Boatman’s Call (5 tracks) do they reveal who Cave thinks he is? Regardless…the 6 tracks from The Live Seeds album ensured ensured yer man in row 22, seat 21 went home happy.

Black Hair again shows Cave’s open, vulnerable and self deprecating side… introduced as “I wrote this to try to win someone back, yeah (ironic), epic fucking fail”…then follows this with an incredible solo version of Mercy Seat. More PTSA before leaving the stage only to return with a 3 song encore, including another personal fave People Aint No Good.

Years ago I attended my first Bowie concert with The Glass Spider Tour at Wembley…an awful show where Paul Young as support was actually better than Bowie himself…the following tour Bowie went with a best of tour, which I missed but which blew audiences away. As did Cave last night, for me, if he ever stooped to a “best of” for me this would be it. A great evening…really hard to think who currently even comes close.

Set List

We Real Cool

The Weeping Song

Red Right Hand

Brompton Oratory

Higgs Boson Blues

Mermaids

The Ship Song

From Her To Eternity

Stranger Than Kindness

God Is In The House

Into My Arms

West Country Girl

Tupelo

Black Hair

Mercy Seat

Jubilee Street

Sad Waters

We no who U R (sure I have forgotten the last song)

encore

People Just Aint No Good

Jack The Ripper

Push The Sky Away

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’s latest effort Push The Sky Away

So just listening again to the New Nick Cave and The bad Seeds album Push The Sky Away…and I don’t quite know what to think I think about it.

Don’t get me wrong it’s not a bad album…it’s a good album…14 previous studio albums have taught me The Bad Seeds don’t make bad albums…it’s a beautiful record. I just can’t think where it goes yet.

Nick Cave is a strange one for me…the only artist I can think of from the top of my head who I got into via a live album (Live Seeds) {generally, not a live album fan unless I was there}. And I guess it was the sheer raucousness of his music coupled with some of the most intelligent lyrics I have come across anywhere that got me hooked.

Over the years I have pretty much collected everything he has released whether with the Bad Seeds or as Grinderman – i’ve refrained from The Birthday Party as I missed it first time around and I am too old to be reenacting that part of my life.

I admire all the Bad Seed albums from the finding their feet early albums through to the later stuff that even the wife says she likes via B-sides and rarities.

Maybe that’s where i’m struggling at present…42 mins for a Nick Cave album seems far too brief…Higgs Bosun Blues weighs in at almost 8 minutes but I want a few of them. The lyrics are still there but where is that track where he howls at the moon and just let’s it go. Where is that track that my wife will still blanch at on a Sunday Morning…one I need to get up and turn down or skip for her. I’ve only played it a couple of times but it reminds me a bit of Nocturama…but without Bring It On and Babe, i’m on fire…my two favourite tracks from that album.

Cave and I live in the same city, he gets out a bit more than I do, but our city has a seedy underbelly and this album is much more themed on that than the usual Cave biblical preacher style.

I know all artists change as they age and 15 albums of the same is not what I want…when I first heard Nick Cave I had a 1 year old daughter, I now have 3 children whilst Cave has twins approaching their teenage years. At the moment it is a bit too 11am Sunday Morning for me when it should be more 2am Saturday Morning.

What the album has done for me is make me revisit a lot of his other albums again – i’ll never tire of No More Shall We Part and B-Sides and Rarities makes my all time top 10.

The highlight of the album has to be the title track which is just mesmerising the remainder wouldn’t go amiss on their own on any recent Cave album. But put together and following on from two Grinderman albums and Dig Lazarus Dig is it just a little too ambient for me?