Nick Cave & The Bad SeedsCrowd hollering welcomes a portion of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra to the stage. Further cheers announce the arrival of a children's choir, who set up beside a pair of backing vocalists/coaches on rostra, upstage left. The young'uns could've used a dress code. Instead, their outfit choices immediately call to mind those Christian Television Association ads of yester year such as: “I've got three pockets in my overalls…” The Bad Seeds take their positions and then a simple “hello” from Nick Cave proclaims his entrance, svelte (as always) in dapper black suit. All ease into We No Who U R, the first taste from the band's recent ARIA Albums Chart-topping release, their first-ever number one in this country. The song creates a simmering atmosphere inside the Bowl as Cave casually paces the stage's perimeter. The frontman informs us he composed Wide Lovely Eyes for his wife Susie Bick, who graces Push The Sky Away's cover in all her naked glory while her husband remains suited up. Cave's eyes glisten as he busts out a few trademark poses that also somehow complement specific words or phrases.
He turns upstage, “We've got these little kiddies here, see them up there? From Gardenvale Primary.” Jubilee Street sneaks up on you, its pace graduating from swagger to sprint as it would if you suddenly noticed you were being followed. When Warren Ellis conducts the MSO, the musicians grin at the exuberant Catweazle lookalike. The outro gains an extra dimension in this live setting and we feel airborne. “That was great kiddies!” Cave extols to the youth choir. After enquiring as to whether we've heard the new longplayer yet, Cave boasts, “You would have realised by now, if you've listened to it, that it's a stone-cold masterpiece,” before the more boisterous Higgs Boson Blues gets an airing.
As soon as Cave informs us the new-album portion of the show is complete, all storm the aisles and remain standing From Her To Eternity onwards. And Cave no longer relies so heavily on those lyrical prompts on his music stand. Lurching up onto the photography-pit barrier, Cave selects outreaching arms to clasp and keep him steady. No one can turn tangled mic cords into spaghetti quite like Cave, who always also manages to look annoyed when stage hands intervene. Such vigour and fury in Red Right Hand! The sparse instrumental percussion culminates in Conway Savage's disturbingly sing-songy keys solo. A chick down front ends up with Cave's mic for a couple of seconds and has a crack at spitting out a few lyrics. Cave chuckles before reclamation. The Ship Song recruits “kiddies” on BVs and raises collective goose flesh but, in true Cave form, Jack The Ripper immediately follows to terrify us. Cave flings his mic onto the piano lid, dispensing of it just in time to assault his piano. The drunken chorus-assisted Papa Won't Leave You, Henry (“He went on down the roooad”) grows in intensity and those brave enough to venture into front stalls are penetrated by Cave's accusatory stares as he becomes each song's protagonist. But then Love Letter, with added MSO, reveals a romantic soul. And The Mercy Seat takes you there while being emotionally draining, which reflects Cave's unique artistry. And he's as invested as ever, caterwauling across the stage, flinging his mic up high then whipping it back with a jerk on the lead, mid-scissorkick.
The encore selection of Into My Arms sees neighbouring arms creep around waists and many old farts in the house will get laid tonight. Martyn P Casey's sinister, creeping bass line derails Stagger Lee as Ellis' violin screeches like a stuck sow. Some members of the Gardenvale Children's Choir are spotted grinning from the balcony as Cave educates via XXX-rated lyricism: “I'm a bad motherfucker, don't you know/And I'll crawl over 50 good pussies just to get one fat boy's asshole…” – brutal! All Bad Seeds are introduced individually by Cave, including recently returned multi-instrumentalist Barry Adamson, and they disappear again. But we're not yet satisfied. Tupelo was mentioned onstage earlier and now the punters are in panic mode, stomping and cheering. Yes! They all return to the stage and our wish is granted: “Looka yonder/A big black cloud COME!” Jim Sclavunos' drumming is superb here, threatening to conjure an electrical storm. The diversity of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' catalogue is well represented tonight and we leave feeling dissatisfied with our so-called current rising stars whose performances would look lazy and boring in Sir Nick and Co's shadow.
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