Nick Cave, Live

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS, LIVE @THE FORUM, MELBOURNE 2003

Spider-like, all spindly limbs, Nick strutted the stage, voice alternately rich velvet then parched, cracked desert. Stock still, Blixa’s guitar shrieked, wailed, fedback. Warren’s fiddle soared above Conway’s organ dirge. Twelve-string acoustic in Mick Harvey’s hands drove music. Thomas Wylder’s drums pounded relentless beats alongside Martyn’s bassline. Crowd howled for favourite tunes; Nick seated at piano now, coaxing mournful melodies from ivory keys.

Older songs blended with new ones, showcasing a twenty-year, thirteen-album career. Faux Greek columns stretched into artificial star spangled night sky above - perfect backdrop to Bad Seeds’ gothic excess and bible black humour.