Review - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at Thebarton Theatre 14/01/09

So it was my first time witnessing Australian legend Nick Cave perform with his famous Bad Seeds and it is safe to say that it was definately a night to remember. For a band who im guessing range anywhere between 40 and 60 years old the energy was intense as they belted through countless classic Seeds tunes such as the rollicking Deanna and the thunderous Tupelo.

One thing i was particularly astounded by was Cave's ability to make pretty much every girl/lady/granny in the audience go absolutely fucking wild and froth at the mouth. I'll cut to the chase, the man is an ugly son-of-a-bitch, but his charisma and charm while delivering ballads along the lines of The Ship Song and Straight To You was absolutely spot on. Cave would get on his knees infront of adoring women and hold their hands, letting them kiss whatever they could get their lips on - it must be the mullet he is sporting.

Sonically the seeds where amazing - utilizing two drummers to create chaos and intricacy at various points during the show. The most capturing Seed though was for me Warren Ellis playing the guitar, violin and anything he could get his paws on - just beautiful. The set hit points of frenzy when songs like Get Ready For Love where unleashed with the utmost power and hit more subtle notes with the beauty of songs such as The Weeping Song and Hold On To Yourself.


To my suprise it was the new material that was truly amazing to witness. If The Mercy Seat wasn't enough to wet your whistle the material from the latest Seeds LP was scintilating. Midnight Man rocked the crowd while Moonland and More News From Nowhere where perfect compliments to the setlist. Cave's voice was tremendous all night and was absolutely thrashed in the shows closer Stagger Lee - a brutal and cacophonic sonic attack which left the crowd wanting more and more. Amazing.