NICK CAVE + THE BAD SEEDS @ O2 ARENA, LONDON

The band’s first full lineup-written studio album release in 8 years, ‘Wild God’, saw them embark on a European tour to promote the release and play widely from the new track list, doing two consecutive nights at the O2 as part of their 28 dates.

The Bad Seeds are headed by Nick Cave (vocals, piano) and Warren Ellis (backing vocals, guitar, violin, keyboards) and began their set on the new tracks, performing ‘Frogs’ and the album title track ‘Wild God’ – both full of uplifting gospel backing from a choir – and also played ‘Song of the Lake’. They diverted to 2013’s ‘Push the Sky Away’ with the slow chiming guitar of ‘Jubilee Street’, which erupted into a tempo change. Returning to ‘Wild God’, the band played ‘Long Dark Night’, which saw Ellis on violin and Cave on piano, and ‘Cinnamon Horses’, ringing out in grandeur with tubular bells. The pair then did a duet for ‘Bright Horses’ from the band’s last 2019 studio album, ‘Ghosteen’, which was written and co-produced by them and featured Ellis’ high pitched wailing, which continued in the stillness of ‘Joy’, also from the new album. The reflective quietness of the set continued when Cave then performed a solo on piano with the emotive strain of ‘I Need You’.

The set then took on a more rocky sound with 1994 single, ‘Red Right Hand’, with Cave altering the lyrics to make fun of a fan wearing a Radiohead t-shirt in the audience that he had earlier interacted with. The song exploded into an undulating percussive storm that ended on a single tubular bell chime. Cave’s rough vocals continued in the encore for ‘Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry’, with the musician finishing the night on a solo of his 1997 single ‘Into My Arms’ from ‘The Boatman’s Call’. A powerful tour that felt more like a comeback for The Bad Seeds.

09/11/24: Nick Cave + The Bad Seeds @ O2 Arena, London.