26th November 2008 at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange
Going to see Nick Cave is a kind of religious experience. There are the faithful and the zealous fans, people who have followed the band through sickness and in health. Then there are the people who have been dragged along, having never heard anything other than ‘Dig Lazarus Dig’. This group are the soon-to-be-converted.
The band sweep on stage. There are few artists that have the stage presence of Cave. These may be balding, forty-somethings, but they are the most captivating band I have ever witnessed. Their set opens with a slow bluesy number that segues into the rollicking ‘Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!’, before climaxing with the disturbing, Revelations-inspired ‘Tupelo’.
The set was hard and fast, with the band modifying a few of their songs to suit the mood. This was, as he himself put it, “Classic Cave”, harking back to the Tender Prey and From Her to Eternity albums. Punk and energetic, Cave jerked and leapt all over the stage in his idiosyncratic dancing style, while Warren Ellis shred his violin bow to pieces with the sheer force of his playing.
Aside from the opening three, the set held many more highlights. The Bad Seeds are not afraid to delve heavily into their back catalogue. Indeed, the audience was given due attention in the choice of set, as Cave took requests. The rendition of ‘Mercy Seat’, turned harsh and loud to the point of screaming, was completely mesmerising. The thrilling ‘Red Right Hand’ and ‘Deanna’ also contributed to the over-whelming tone of hardedge rock. ‘The Weeping Song’ and ‘The Ship Song’ brought the mood down to a melancholy pace, quickly brought back up to speed with ‘We Call Upon the Author To Explain’ from latest album Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!. By the time that ‘The Weeping Song’ was being played, my friend, who had never heard anything before Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus, was converted.
The only low point of the main set was ‘Get Ready For Love’, which had been heavily modified and Cave had missed a verse and the pre-chorus. Taken with the rest of the set however, this small omission hardly mattered.
They played for an hour and half, before coming back on for the encore to shouts of adulation and whoops of pleasure. It is tradition with Cave that he plays ‘Stagger Lee’, his dirtiest murder ballad, as the finale to the show. But first, there was some audience participation in ‘The Lyre of Orpheus’, singing the doleful “O Mama” back to Cave’s lead and realising how difficult it actually is to keep time. Then, the moment the crowd had all been waiting for: ‘Stagger Lee’. Cave’s attitude becomes harsher and more arrogant, growling the chilling lyrics before descending into a screaming, discordant frenzy.
This is a band that has survived drugs and disorder to appear triumphant. You may be amongst the youngest people there, as we were, but don’t let that fool you. Despite their respective ages, the Bad Seeds are still very much able to put on the best show you shall ever see. Putting a different twist on every concert, Cave will hold you utterly captivated.
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