A Thursday evening in springtime is the setting for Nick Cave and some of his Bad Seeds to play the Theatre Royal venue in Nottingham as part of their short UK tour.
Tickets for all dates went in a flash when they were put on sale and the venue is packed to the rafters as the band take to the stage at 8.30pm. Although billed as a solo show, the band includes Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey Thomas Wydler and Barry Adamson all members of the Bad Seeds.
The band all had their own space in front of an initially red velvet curtain back drop under blue lights on a dark stage, all a very appropriate smokers' lounge setting for Nick's dark and wondrous tunes.
'Water's Edge' from latest album, 'Push the Sky Away' and 'The Weeping Song' from 1990's 'The Good Son' kick the show off in fine style, to be followed by 'Red Right Hand' from 1994's 'Let Love In'. The magnificence of Nick's current and back catalogue is already self-evident to all after just three songs in. Warren Ellis seated and mainly on guitar is an equal star of the show and is the usual foil for Brother Nick opposite.
Still sticking to the set list, ' Brompton Oratory' is followed by a spellbinding 'Higgs Boson Blues' which leaves the audience pretty much in awe. Here's where the banter really starts, and the set list becomes a thing of the past as the crowd holler of this song and that. 'Tupelo' is the loudest or, clearest shout and the band immediately proceed to blast through the song.
It then becomes open season to get your song played, some do, and get hilariously rejected. The atmosphere is fantastic and the music sublime. A delicious 'And No More Shall We Part' from the 2001 album of the same name is played for one particular audience member who had written to Nick previously. The show is that intimate!
Songs from 'Push the Sky Away naturally feature heavily but they are so strong that they just fit in seamlessly.
The encore includes a spine chilling version of 'God is in the House' after which the band change course to 'pop land' and give us a joyous 'Breathless'. This song seems to come about after someone at the front tells Nick that they got married to this particular tune. It's unclear whether it Nick's version of the song used at their nuptials or not, which causes much hilarity.
Two and a half hours after we started, the set closes with 'The Lyre of Orpheus' and 'Push the Sky Away'. This was nothing short of an incredible show and one that will live in the memory for some time to come.
Pete
Original Set List
Actual Set List
Water's Edge
The Weeping Song
Red Right Hand
Brompton Oratory
Higgs Boson Blues
Tupelo
Mermaids
The Ship Song
Into My Arms
From Her to Eternity
West Country Girl
And No More Shall We Part
I Let Love In
Up Jumped the Devil
Black Hair
The Mercy Seat
Jubilee Street
Encore
We No Who U R
God Is in the House
Breathless
Stranger Than Kindness
Jack the Ripper
The Lyre of Orpheus
Push the Sky Away