Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds @ bp pulse LIVE, 15 November 2024
Like every great orator, Nick Cave learnt early in his career about the importance of repetition. And this isn’t repetition in the pop sense, where you repeat choruses and hook lines, Nick uses classic repetition form, stating the same line multiple times. Musically he also uses this device, so at times, melodically the songs he creates appear simple, but the sheer impact of this style when the songs are played live is devastatingly powerful and full of emotion.
As the lights dim, The Bad Seeds come on stage, scattering to their positions, leaving the biggest roar for when Nick is welcomed into Birmingham’s arms. It is immediately clear that he has a commanding presence on the huge NEC stage and that’s not just to do with his stature but is poise and total confidence in his delivery. Nick Cave’s music is about creating a vibe; a captivating atmosphere in which the audience is transfixed and entranced, so melodically his vocal lines are rarely memorable and any interest is supplied by the musical arrangement and overall sound. On his albums he often sings like a drunk mumbling and growling over beautiful music, closer to Gavin Bryars’ tramp in “Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet” than the wit and energy of Shane Macgowan or grit of Tom Waits. Maybe that is part of his appeal, Cave is the Everyman, and every man, woman and child can sing his songs, no vocal gymnastics necessary just a low growl for the most part.
So even though I have never considered Nick to be a great singer, when you see him in the flesh, whatever he doesn’t have in technique he more than makes up for in passion, and he sings better than I have ever heard him before. Added to the faultless backing of the Bad Seeds, it is easy to see why their shows are so revered. The set list leans heavily on the new album ‘Wild God’, and almost all of their previous releases have only one track off each of them. As mentioned earlier Nick utilises repetition to build tension and new song ‘Joy’ is an example of this, where he adopts a preacher style delivery, where lines are repeated throughout the verses. It is an artistic choice certainly and makes more sense in a live setting than is does on the album, especially as Nick walks along the stage touching his fans hands like a messiah. I am a great believer in the idea that if you say something simple with enough confidence and energy, it will sound magnificent and profound. I can’t help feeling though that the lines “And all across the world they shout bad words, they shout angry words.
All across the world they shoutout their angry words” is not great writing and lacks a certain depth apparent in some of his other work. I still think it is a first draft waiting for an improvement. Sometimes Nick’s words on his recorded works do feel like a bad night at a poetry open mic gig, with rambling stanzas of six form poetry mixed up with surrealism and macabre nonsense verse or medieval tales of death. But the lyrics gain a certain importance when delivered in an arena; like Jim Morrison, when bad words are performed live with such masterly assurance, it is a revelation and they take on a greater importance than expected. The stage and lighting design perfectly supports the band’s sound, heightening the emotions even further.
Nick’s decision to build a special extended stage is a part of the experience and as there is a standing stalls area, those who got to the arena early have the thrill of being up close and personal with their hero. And Nick spends a lot of time on that special stage, walking its full length and touching the extended hands, as well as leaning his whole weight into the crowd and stretching out further into the audience with his microphone directed at the fans: “Yeah, yeah, yeah!” I have to admit it all feels too calculated and egotistical, and only serves to encourage the disparate superstar/fan relationship – he is up there and you are reaching up.
Nick writes like a man of the people, but seems to prefer to be just out of reach. He does jokingly tell the owners of the grabbing hands to “Fuck off!” at one point, so I believe he is self-conscious enough to see the contradiction at work here. There is a great and powerful simplicity in the music of the Bad Seeds and their genius is picking the right instruments and the right parts for the right instrumentation – there is nothing out of place. Every melodic line played elevates the song so the final sound is enhanced beyond the original composition. Less is most definitely more when it comes to Nick Cave’s music. The way the power and intensity builds with every song, the way every musician on stage is totally together and by the end of the two plus hour set you can’t fail to be won over – the audience participation is testament to this, as they join in with the singalong moments.
The final song of the night ‘Into My Arms’ with just Nick on piano is spellbinding and he is clearly moved by the Birmingham crowd’s vocal support – it is a beautiful way to end a perfect set with a perfect host. Nick is like a preacher, a messiah but also your best friend. He is magnetic and although the band is flawless, your gaze rarely leaves the tall man in the middle dressed in black.
Setlist:
Frogs
Wild God
Song of the Lake
O Children
Jubilee Street
From Her to Eternity
Long Dark Night
Cinnamon Horses
Tupelo
Conversion
Bright Horses
Joy
I Need You (Nick solo on piano)
Carnage
Final Rescue Attempt
Red Right Hand
The Mercy Seat
White Elephant
Encore:
Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry
The Weeping Song
Into My Arms (Nick solo on piano)
Review: Alan Neilson
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