Live Review: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The O2, London 09/11/2024
A night of mixed emotions - of hope and loss, of anger and joy as Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds continue to prove they’re still in a league of their own, decades since their formation.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds put on an out-of-this-world performance for their second night in London’s O2 Arena on Saturday the 9th of November. Now for most people, listening to Nick Cave’s array of discography is a one-of-a-kind experience, with music and accompanying lyrics that have the ability to stir up several emotions in a matter of minutes. Most recently, fans have also had conflicted feelings towards the man himself, particularly with the current political (or non-political) stances he has taken. While most of us do not share the same opinions as the leading man, including his support act, Black Country, New Road, we can only hope that this tour and the protests that have accompanied it will give him something to reflect on.
Black Country, New Road took to the stage shortly after seven, playing an array of new music to the crowd slowly filtering into the O2. Their blend of indie-punk and folk music is the ideal opener before Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds take over, with a lot of their songs having a slow start but building into loud hectic clashes of instruments and vocals. Watermelon stickers decorate many of their instruments, a show of solidarity with the people of Palestine. Their vocals are eerily beautiful, but the standout of the night is their closing song, For The Cold Country, which starts softly before becoming a cacophony of haunting vocals, smashing drums, frantic fingers across a keyboard and the shrill pull of the violin. It’s captivating to witness, and disappointing that there isn’t more to follow.
Except there is…and it’s Nick Cave.
Despite many having mixed emotions towards the man of the hour, it is fair to say that seeing Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds perform live is the equivalent of being transported to another place entirely, completely and utterly out of this world. Their mix of alt-rock, post-punk meets gospel made the 130 minutes in an arena with nearly 20,000 other people feel like an incredibly intimate, personal experience.
At eight-thirty and not a second later, The Bad Seeds walked onto the stage to a chorus of cheers, with the leading man following moments behind, soaking in the admiration that was pouring from the crowd before the chimes of Frogs, from their latest album Wild God, started. With the support of four incredible Gospel singers behind him, Nick Cave sauntered across the stage, painting the image of a preacher delivering an important message to his followers below him. And they were soaking in every word, every moment, arms outstretched towards Cave, begging for more.
The beloved Australian called to the crowd, “London, fuckin’ London” spurring on the shouts from his enraptured audience, before introducing the second song of the night, the title track of the album, Wild God. The energy Cave expels during this song is something else, but when the song reaches its climax and the Gospel choir again lends its support, the electricity that travels through the air is almost overwhelming. With WILD GOD flashing in red on the screen behind the stage, Cave playing the piano with a sense of urgency and aggression, crying out to “bring your spirit down,” there is a shiver sent down the spine of every member of the audience simultaneously.
Whilst it is the Wild God tour, Cave & The Bad Seeds do not disappoint the crowd by excluding older tracks. After a stellar opener with three tracks from the latest album, Cave introduces a well-loved favourite. There’s a collective hush throughout the arena as Nick speaks of the next song, telling his eager listeners how it was written back when he lived in Brighton “fuckin’ Brighton”. Watching his children playing on the playground he was overcome with the dreadful feeling that a parent has of the “inability to protect our children.” Cave has never shied away from the painful experiences of his life, and he notes that the feeling is “forever relevant” to him, a subtle way of dedicating the song to the son he lost in 2015. For a man who has been through a world of pain in his life, he still has a way of finding light in a dark situation and lifts the mood by reminding Harry Potter fans that they would also enjoy the next song before the gentle guitar of O Children begins behind him. With the choir of the crowd accompanying Nick now, and with the sombre foreword, it makes for an emotional performance as the audience sings along to “O children, lift up your voice…children, rejoice”.
Cave preps his devoted watchers for the next song, “a song about a girl called Bee” before the opening drum snares of Jubilee Street start. A song that starts slow but continues to build and build, with Warren Ellis adding the screech of the violin, it’s an experience that is hard to capture with words. The haunting, captivating track Cinnamon Horses is followed by the song about a storm before the birth of Elvis, Tupelo, which has the arena quite literally vibrating as Cave reaches his arms out into the crowd and they scramble to touch him. The leading man’s voice is gritty, the precise yet heavy beat of the drum and the flashing images on the screen behind create a terrifying, electric energy that continues to build throughout the song, and as the choir joins in for “o go to sleep children, the sandman’s on his way,” it is a truly haunting, unforgettable performance. Warren Ellis provides the spine-tingling ghostly backing vocals for Bright Horses, whilst Nick’s solo for I Need You sees him, and the crowd, holding back tears as his fingers glide across the piano keys.
The show and its performers don’t let up for a moment and continue to entrance their crowd, and there’s a chorus of cheers and whoops of delight when the well-known bells of Red Right Hand start to toll. Cave’s deep, guttural vocals as he reaches his hand out to the crowd, the subtle finger-picking of the guitar, the drum that never misses a beat, and the stage lights creating a red hue around the band create a level of intense intimacy to this performance, despite the size of the venue.
When the encore rolls around over two hours later, the crowd are still begging for more and when the band walk back on with Cave following suit, there is an uproar of cheers. O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is), a song dedicated to old band member and Cave’s ex-lover from many moons ago, Anita Lane, is nothing short of beautiful. As a video of Anita plays on the screens, her voice in the background and the crowd overtaking Cave and his Gospel Choir with “o wow, o wow, how wonderful she is!” there is a collective feeling of joy and sadness and hope throughout the arena.
When The Bad Seeds walk off for the final time, Nick Cave thanks “fuckin London”, before saying “I’ll leave you with this”. Sitting at his piano and performing Into My Arms, Nick Cave brings his arena-filling crowd to utter silence and the standing ovation he receives at the end of it is what every band and artist must dream of receiving.
You can love him, you can disagree with him, you can wear a Radiohead shirt to his show and infuriate him, but there is no denying that Nick Cave is one of a kind as a performer and a lyricist. The Bad Seeds are the perfect accompaniment to his dark and stormy lyrics. It was a privilege to experience such legends live, and we can only hope that one day they reconsider their stance during this turbulent time in history.
And while Nick Cave argues he is fighting for his freedom as a musician, he should be reminded that none of us are free until Palestine is free.
Words by Angela English
Photography by Cameron Cookson
