An Astonishing And Revelatory Gig: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

As I walked up to the Leeds First Direct Arena for the Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Wild God tour, I must confess I was filled with some trepidation. Nick Cave in an arena? This didn't feel quite right; surely he should be prowling the stage at some dark club in a risky part of town? However, I needn't have worried, as this was one of the most astonishing, revelatory gigs you could ever wish to see.

Winding back to 1983, I started going to gigs just as Nick had wound up his riotous first assembly, The Birthday Party. Fortunately he licked his wounds, and over the last 40 years he has, together with the ever-fluctuating Bad Seeds, produced some of the most original music that anyone has put out. He has also become more and more popular, perhaps due to the way that he has creatively and honestly responded to the harrowing grief that he has experienced over the last few years. This openness has perhaps created a greater connection that is palpable in the audience tonight. 

I’ve seen him many times, but outside of festivals, this is the largest venue that I’ve seen him in. I am not a fan of arena gigs and was a bit concerned that Nick would not be able to produce the level of intense intimacy that is part of the experience of seeing him live. I couldn’t have been more wrong; he astounded me by being able to conjure an atmosphere that did feel weirdly intimate and emotional despite the cavernous surroundings.

The latest Wild God album would form the backbone of the set, with eight songs from it getting a run out.  It has not, up to this point, connected with me in the same way as previous albums. However, what’s clear tonight is that the songs need to be heard live with the power of the Bad Seeds underpinning them, which I think is perhaps missing slightly in the album mix.

Tonight the songs sound revelatory; yes, they are imbued with death, pain, and sorrow, but there is a positive, uplifting quality. The songs soar, backed by a gospel choir, as Nick asks us to perhaps look closer and to remember the joy and beauty that exists around us despite what some voices would attempt to have us believe.

Nick's voice, which ranges from raging yelps to whispered tones and reduces the entire arena to pin-drop quiet, is particularly remarkable tonight. Wild God dominates the setlist, featuring songs from the last 40 years. Delivered with a righteous fury, Tupelo and The Mercy Seat have never sounded better. Joy and I Need You form an emotional heart to the middle of the set before the end of the gig and the first encore of Papa Won’t Leave You Henry and an all-time favourite, The Weeping Song.

Incongruously, Nick then comes out again to lead the whole arena in a collective singalong to Into My Arms, leaving me totally astonished at the two and a half hours of the  set I’ve just witnessed.

I needn't have worried, as this was one of the most astonishing, revelatory gigs you could ever wish to see.

Nick is as watchable as ever, skipping between the piano and prowling the front of the stage with practiced abandon. Jumping over monitors his body jolting into shapes as he cocks a snoop to his age (a barely believable 67) whilst cavorting around with the vigour and lifeforce of someone much younger.

Picking a standout moment or a favourite song from the 21 gems that glistened before us tonight feels impossible, but during Jubilee Street early in the set, something truly resonated with me. The Bad Seeds cranked the song up into a boiling crescendo as Nick screamed to “Look at Me Now” - never mind, look, I am spellbound by the mesmeric presence and realise that I’m witnessing something special, that this is simply as good as live music gets.


Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds appeared at the Leeds First Direct Arena. Catch him at the AO Arena. Manchester tomorrow. Details click here.