Secret Meeting score: 93
by Joseph Purcell
Nick Cave and his merry/demented band of Bad Seeds brought the ten/day All Points East extravaganza to a frenzied crescendo on Sunday night. In the beautiful surroundings of Victoria Park, Cave produced a career spanning set that included mass stage invasions, crowd sing-a-longs, a duet with Kylie Minogue and a large dose of musical wizardry from the awe inspiring Bad Seeds.
From the opening strains of ‘with my voice I am calling you’ from the opener, Jesus Alone, the crowd were transfixed for it must be noted this show was not only about the frontman. The Bad Seeds are vital to Cave’s records and even more so to his live performances, and they all individually channel the ferocity with which Cave performs, creating a vortex of wrath that sucks the crowd towards them and throttles them in the very place they stand. In particular, Warren Ellis, the bearded warlock, lurched stage right conducting, destroying and encapsulating onlookers – he is worth the entrance fee alone. Each note from his plethora of instrumentation was impeccable, and the ferocious wall of sound at Cave’s back gave him the freedom to preach from his pulpit of fury.
After the initial tracks of Magneto and Do You Love Me, it was the title track of Cave’s 1984 debut album, From Her To Eternity, that really ignited the set as Cave stalked the stage with unbridled rage, and his energy surging. Red Right Hand evoked a mass sing-a-long from the sell out crowd, Come into my Sleep (devoted by Cave to his wife Susie Bick) was spellbinding in its simplicity, and performed in hushed silence as the onlookers appreciate the tender moment created, particularly after the well documented difficult last few years.
Into My Arms followed, displaying once more the flexibility of Cave’s songwriting and proved he is a musician who delivers both the most heartfelt snapshots into the human condition, yet is equally comfortable creating music that harnesses unbridled passion and savagery. This section of the set continued in its epic meandering beauty with a mesmeric rendition of Girl in Amber, accompanied by visuals of stunningly bleak and spacious landscapes. Cave then stunned the crowd by introducing fellow Australian, Kylie Minogue, for a rendition of their duet, Where the Wild Roses Grow. Their voices – working in perfect opposition to each other – delivered a stunningly haunting rendition, as the polished pop tones of Minogue perfectly juxtaposed the dishevelled and hellish snarls of Cave.
Following a run of the most poignant moments in his back catalogue, Jubilee Street was the beginning of the end for the air of calm as Cave strutted and ensnared the audience, before the Bad Seeds burst into life for the all out assault of Deanna. The crowd, by now transfixed and in the palm of his hand, retorted – ‘Ohhh Deanna, Ohhh Deanna!’
With the energy at fever pitch, Cave treated those gathered to a version of one of the finest live songs I have ever seen, a hatred filled denunciation of Stagger Lee. Over the preceding fifteen minutes, the frontman contorted his body, channelled his demonic presence and became ‘Mr Stagger Fucking Lee’. Espousing the lyrics of violence, murder and abuse, he throttled the audience and implored a full-blown stage invasion. This performance alone demonstrated a total immersion in his art and defined why live music is simply the pinnacle of enjoyment.
Closing with the incredible Push the Sky Away, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds cemented their position as one of music’s most enthralling live acts. Encapsulating poignancy, beauty and rage, they provided a fantastic end to the ten day event.
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