Live Review: Nick Cave, Warren Ellis

3 December 2014 | 11:03 am | Jonty Czuchwicki

For two hours, Nick Cave mesmerised the Adelaide crowd with the help of Warren Ellis.

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The Adelaide Festival Centre venue was made for Nick Cave and Warren Ellis; they seemed to fit seamlessly into the décor with their slick suits and haughty gaits.

Joined by some talented handpicked session musicians, the solo show lent itself to the intimate setting with Cave and the gang rolling out on stage not a minute past eight o’clock. Reverting all others into an embryo in terms of swagger, Cave dived into the popular and foreboding Red Right Hand early in the set. Even though the audience was seated, Cave moved with the same style and grace he boasted last year when touring with the Bad Seeds.

Taking time to engage with the crowd by all manner of handholding with females and playful banter with the rest of us, Cave rolled through a two-hour setlist spanning his entire career, from slow sentimental ballads such as Into My Arms all the way to monstrous examples of power like From Her To Eternity. As relentless as it was engaging, there was hardly time to breathe between songs with the entire audience on the edge of their seat. Warren Ellis is a complete genius: someone could literally hand this man a loaf of bread and he would be able to confidently use it to create beautiful music, transitioning elegantly and effortlessly from the flute to the violin to the electric guitar and even the accordion. Cave was relaxed and laidback, loveable for amiably just being himself.

There was a terrific encore featuring night topping rendition of Jack The Ripper, as requested by the audience. Cave instructed his band to make sure it was played “evil and sinister”; it sure fucking was! Few men are able to express the same scope and power Cave does on stage and as such the scores of satisfied patrons are already looking forward to his next appearance in Adelaide.