Live Review: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds at All Points East 2022
NICK CAVE &
THE BAD SEEDS
ALL POINTS EAST
VICTORIA PARK
LONDON
[28/08/2022]
Nick Cave is a man of many guises. Tonight he is a preacher; he is a showman; he is a comedian; he is a therapist; he’s an artist. At his core, however, and as unlikely at times it seems, he’s human.
What makes Cave and his performance so mythical is that despite experiencing unspeakable grief over the years, he has the ability to translate that emotion into song so perfectly. He then delivers that to crowds in a way that feels deeply relatable even if Cave's own personal experience is alien to them. It's no wonder there is a swathe of arms reaching out to drag him into their embrace.
His entrance is thunderous, The Seeds are an impeccable set of musicians, throw in a trio of sensational backing singers with Cave as conductor and you have a recipe for a masterpiece. The opening pairing of ‘Get Ready For Love’ and ‘There She Goes, My Beautiful World’ lend themselves perfectly to the image of Cave the pastor. From further back in the crowd, the image in front of me is surreal, like paying witness to the evangelist mega churches of America, Cave parades the stage, placing his hands on foreheads, cheeks and palms like he is blessing his most faithful followers, buoyed by the gospel-country rock tracks chosen to open proceedings.
The evening is an incredulous two and a half hours long and Cave doesn’t break stride for a mere moment. When it comes to such a mammoth show that spans such a varied and extensive discography that transcends multiple decades, the choice of setlist is crucial to dictating how the evening will unfold. The opening quarter is reserved for Cave the preacher and the showman. On ‘From Her to Eternity’ he commands the crowd in a spooky singalong, his voice warbles as he once again grapples with his adoring front row, visually reminiscent of a pastor trying to exorcise their demons. At one point, he falls into the rabble, his words cut off immediately but like the mythical figure, he has become he is lifted back into the air by his enamoured faithful.
The middle of the set is reserved for deep introspection and harrowing grief. This is a different Cave to the one commanding over the stage for the first hour. Here he looks overcome with emotion during a devastating performance of ‘I Need You’. Taken from his ‘Skeleton Tree’ record. Cave’s immense losses over this last decade are well documented, and here it can be felt in every crack in his voice and tear threatening to pierce through. The track is sandwiched between the equally emotive yet highly experimental pairing of 'Bright Horses' (led by his dear friend Warren Ellis) and the aching 'Waiting For You'. The whole section is tinged with deep melancholy, yet Cave ever a man of contrasting emotions seems to be able to conjure something cathartic from the experience.
Do not though, for a second, think he takes his performance too seriously. In the gaps between the intensity of his musical performance, he is Cave the comedian. Quick-witted, he goes with the flow of the evening, making humorous remarks off the cuff. At one moment, whilst rolling off a speech, a woman daringly brisks her hand a bit higher up his thigh than anyone else “What are you doing woman?!” he bellows with a sarcastic exclamation, “this is sexual harassment in the workplace”.
Later during an invigorating performance of his legendary ‘Red Right Hand’ he effortlessly switches up lyrics to tease a fan on the front row with an unfortunate choice of T-Shirt “You hate that shitty Wilco T-shirt you’re wearing, brother? He’ll get you a new one.” That comedy even for a rare moment seeps into a performance of ‘Higgs Boson Blues’, extended with the frequent chants of ‘Hannah Montana’ to its beat, the peculiar reference to Miley Cyrus's teenage popstar persona is hilariously bizarre and receives joyful giggles from across the park.
The closing act of the evening is about jubilance, even some of the more sombre ballads feel like songs of praise when placed alongside The Seeds at full pelt. With full accompaniment, the pairing of ‘The Mercy Seat’ and ‘The Ship Song’ are scintillatingly glorious. Cave, at this point, adopts a new persona, he’s Cave the magician. Arms aloft and his voice with a full exclamation, it’s like he is casting his songs like spells rather than singing them. There's an almost unfathomable evocative euphoria that can be felt when Cave, The Seeds and his choir combine to give all of themselves to the performance. Most noticeably during 'Mercy Seat' when they are united in bellowing out "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth". You would think the stage would combust the way the song relentlessly accelerates.
An ethereal encore concludes the performance, with a spellbinding rendition of ‘Into My Arms’ the beaming highlight of perhaps the entire evening. Unprompted Cave is accompanied by the crowd singing gently underneath the chorus. The audience, Understanding the delicate nature of the assignment at hand, doesn’t overpower Cave. As they fill the park like whispers, the end result is sensational and a fittingly wondrous finale.
★★★★★
Setlist:
Get Ready for Love
There She Goes, My Beautiful World
From Her to Eternity
O Children
Jubilee Street
Bright Horses
I Need You
Waiting for You
Tupelo
Red Right Hand
The Mercy Seat
The Ship Song
Higgs Boson Blues
City of Refuge
White Elephant
Encore:
Into My Arms
Vortex
Ghosteen Speaks
The Weeping Song