Live Review: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Serenading a sun setting behind the grassy banks of Red Hill Auditorium, the folk rock sounds of Washington's Mark Lanegan provided the perfect icebreaker for those who had rushed home from work for the show's early start, giving everyone time to unwind with a few drinks before the headliner took to the stage.

30 minutes inland, Red Hill Auditorium is just far enough away from the city that it escapes the light pollution excreted from the suburbs, leaving nothing but a visceral view of the stars and distance to temporary forget the stresses of daily life. As well as sounding attractive in a real estate catalogue, its unique amphitheater set up was the perfect venue to host one of Australia's most influential rock bands.

Arriving to a standing ovation, Nick Cave, sharply dressed as always, anxiously paced up and down, until The Bad Seeds slid into the ambience of We No Who U R, closely followed by Jubilee Street, both off this year's Push The Sky Away record.

Between songs, Cave would temporarily vacate his microphone and do a quick lap around the stage, confirming the next song, as if he was the only one with the evening's set list. When he did turn his attention on the audience, he generally lost his train of thought midsentence. But it didn't matter what he was saying, because he said even the simplest of things with a commanding charisma that took control over the sold-out venue.

Holding a relatively tame composition for most of the set, it was during his early works, such as 1984's From Her To Eternity, that Cave really unleashed, revealing his aggressive side is the most enchanting.

Lanegan resurfaced to join the band for a “once in a lifetime” duet on The Weeping Song, that had no doubt occurred every other night of the tour. Had there not been technical difficulties with Cave's microphone cable during the last chorus, it would have been the most powerful moment of the night.

With an endless list of classics missing from the set, it was once again a newer tune, Push The Sky Away, which concluded the show. As the song's final reverb-drenched lyric drifted into the ether, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds had proved their best days were still in their grasp, and their new record deserved all of its success.