Photo by Joe Del Tufo | joedeltufo.com
Photo by Joe Del Tufo | joedeltufo.com
Photo by Joe Del Tufo | joedeltufo.com
Photo by Joe Del Tufo | joedeltufo.com
Photo by Joe Del Tufo | joedeltufo.com
Nick Cave doesn’t have time for your crap. He has a reputation to uphold, after all – that of the cranky, occasionally combative, vocally stunning and lyrically intense crooner from Australia who has explored songwriting’s dark side in a stately manner for over three decades. Try to take an up-close Instagram of him during his set at The Keswick Theater last night? He’ll shove that iPhone right out of his face and holler at you to put it the eff away. Heckle him? He’ll snap right back at you in a menacing tone. But cheer him on, and Cave is generous with his rewards, as the sold-out house in Glenside found.
The 90-minute set mixed up back-catalogue classics with material from the downtempo (but nonetheless tense) new album Push The Sky Away – “We Know Who U R” was a gentle sing-song opener took a smooth glide into “Jubilee Street.” Cave’s longtime backing band The Bad Seeds worked wonders on this song, rebuilding the simmering album version into a skyrocketing crescendo that was punctuated by Cave’s jack knife thrusts and jerking kicks over the front row. By the end of the song, he was in command of the theater.
“Higgs Bosun Blues” evolved in a similar fashion over eight minutes – he opened his South By Southwest show last week with this one – and by the time it peaked, Cave was warmed up. “Can we start getting these chairs out of here?” he asked of the folks sitting in folding seats in the front row, and as the floor opened up, he plowed into the crowd with his microphone in tow to the violent strains of “From Her to Eternity.” With the mic cable stretched as far as it would go, Cave settled more or less in the lap of an enthralled fan, gripping his collar and screaming the last minute and change of the song into his face.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds | Photo by John Vettese
Last week at the SXSW Music Conference in Austin, Texas, The Key editor, John Vettese, and I saw a collective 58 bands in 3 days. Here are ten that stood out:
Sir Sly – This five piece from Los Angeles have a confident and charismatic front man, grooves and hooks galore.
Little Green Cars – Dublin’s Little Green Cars charmed us with their gorgeous harmonies and finely honed control of rock and roll dynamics. Lead singers Stevie Appleby and Faye O’Rourke are like the Buckingham/Nicks of Ireland.
PAWS – This three piece from Glasgow play very catchy, garagey, fuzzy, guitar driven pop-rock. Just the way we like it.
Nick Cave kicked off NPR Music’s SXSW shows on Wednesday night at Stubb’s with full force. He plays tonight at the Keswick. Continue reading
XPN welcomes Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds to The Keswick Theatre tonight with Sharon Van Etten. The Australian band released their fifteenth studio album called Push the Sky Away in February following a five-year hiatus. Tonight’s show is a rare appearance for the band, as The Seeds have only played Philadelphia a handful of times during their 30+ year career. Opening up the evening is Brooklyn singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten, touring in support of her stand-out 2012 LP Tramp. Tickets and information for tonight’s all-ages show can be found here. Below, watch the video for Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds’ “We No Who U R” and listen back to Sharon Van Etten’s Free at Noon performance from 2012 here.
The NPR Music Showcase at Stubb’s ( clockwise from left: Waxahatchee, Nick Cave, Cafe Tacvba, Yeah Yeah Yeahs) | Photos by John Vettese
NPR Music‘s annual showcase at Stubb’s BBQ has become a coveted ticket at South By Southwest, and last night’s bill was a knockout. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds gave a stunning, electrified performance of songs from their new Push the Sky Away; Philly’s Waxahatchee played a hushed and intimate indoors set; Mexico five-piece Cafe Tacuba rallied the outdoor crowd with song and dance; and Yeah Yeah Yeahs notched the energy up even further, premiering songs from their new LP Mosquito and taking a deep-digging trip into their back catalog.
The capacity crowd was teeming with excitement for Cave, who’s an expert at constructing a mood. “We’re going to start with a rather long song,” Cave said, pointing to the dusky sky as they took the stage. “Hopefully, by the time we finish, it will be dark.” Continue reading
Photo by Cat Stevens
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds today released another song from Push the Sky Away, which is out digitally on February 18. “Jubilee Street” is a slow and bluesy slow burner, and you can listen to it in the lyric video below. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are performing at The Keswick Theatre on March 19 with Sharon Van Etten. For more information, check out WXPN’s concert calendar.
When she was in Australia back in the fall, Sharon Van Etten visited Triple-J Radio to record a cover of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds‘ pensive ballad “People Ain’t No Good” for their Like a Version series. The song comes from the 1997 album The Boatman’s Call, and in her chat with the DJs, SVE reveals that her current tour opening Cave tour came as a literal surprise. “My booking agent did it without asking,” the obviously humbled and somewhat nervous siger said. It’s an incredible pairing – one we’re ecstatic to see when it comes to The Keswick Theater on March 19th. For tickets and information, visit WXPN’s concert calendar here. Below, watch SVE’s cover of “People Ain’t No Good.”
