Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, O2 Arena, London review • DIY Magazine

The impeccably sharp suit; the rapt, almost impossibly attentive audience; the begowned gospel quartet: from the off, the ecclesiastical scene of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds’ O2 Arena show is set, with Cave the enigmatic preacher, and us his willing congregation.

This quasi-devotional atmosphere should come as no surprise - that his work has somewhat of a preoccupation with the religious is well-documented, as is his deeply personal connection to the often spiritual-adjacent experiences of loss, grief, and love. What is remarkable, though, is how this 20,000 capacity dome is made to feel so intimate; right from the twinkling first bars of opener ‘Frogs’, there’s a sense that each and every person here is communing with Cave directly.

And on this, the first run of Bad Seeds live shows to feature its tracks, new album ‘Wild God’ is nothing short of glorious. It’s the vanishing point of all Cave’s religious inclinations, and cuts from the LP (released back in August) make up just under half of tonight’s setlist - the only song which isn’t aired is closer ‘As The Waters Cover The Sea’. When you have a back catalogue as rich and extensive as his, it’s often tricky to toe the line between showcasing new material - ostensibly the point of the tour, after all - and servicing fans with older favourites; here, the more recent releases fit so seamlessly into his artistic world, they actively enhance what’s already there.

The jagged edges of 2009’s ‘From Her To Eternity’, for example, are heightened when placed in contrast to the gentle embrace of ‘Long Dark Night’; the desperation of ‘Final Rescue Attempt’, meanwhile, primes us perfectly for the brooding resignation of his now-iconic 1994 number, ‘Red Right Hand’. Those gospel backing singers bolster ‘O Children’ and ‘Conversion’ alike, lending each track a weighty significance whilst simultaneously lifting them skyward. And throughout, an angelic-voiced, demonically-playing Warren Ellis is Cave’s unwavering foil.

He’s a performer who perfectly understands what he’s here to do, and how to execute it. At times, he nimbly darts between the piano and the stage’s edge, grasping the crowd’s outstretched palms like Jesus healing the ill. At others, such as with the encore’s pin-drop highlight ‘O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is)’ - dedicated to the late Anita Lane, a former girlfriend and collaborator of The Birthday Party - it’s as if there’s nobody in the room but Cave and the person he’s lost.

As for the stunning, Bad Seeds-less finale of ‘Into My Arms’, which sees the whole venue on its feet, softly singing in chorus with thousands of strangers: never, we’d quite confidently guess, has the O2’s crowd been so devoid of phone screens during such a special moment - to film this would be to break its sanctity, somehow.

It may sound dramatic, but such is the reverence with which people engage with Cave’s work; utterly immersive and enthrallingly delivered, this performance finds him as compelling and as courageous as ever.

Tags: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Reviews, Live Reviews