“This is not a gig, this is a rehearsal!”
Cave’s opening statement underlined the special nature of this intimate, invite-only show.
But it didn’t stop the now Kemp Town-based polymath from delivering a full-on performance over two hours with only the odd false start or shouted instruction to the band breaking up the flow.
The opening runthrough of the as-yet-unreleased Push The Sky Away suggested Cave is done with kicking out the jams with Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! and Grinderman to return to more orchestrated fare. The slow burn of Jubilee Street, the epic Higgs Bosun Blues and soft opener We No Who U R were all worthy additions to Cave’s already bulging canon.
A small string section and children’s choir added a depth and occasional menace to proceedings, augmented by the return of former Bad Seed Barry Adamson on piano and drums for this tour.
The rest of the set was devoted to the 1980s and 1990s, perhaps indicating where Cave has been drawing inspiration.
Highlights were a raucous Jack The Ripper, the Tarantino-esque violence of closer Stagger Lee, and a Red Right Hand which felt like Cave was raising up the devil himself.
The stages of Europe, Australia and the US are in for a treat in 2013.
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