Photo: WENN
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds paid tribute to Lou Reed and performed a new song when they played the second of their two sold out shows at London's Hammersmith Apollo last night. See footage of new track 'Give Us A Kiss' below.
The Aussie rock icons delighted fans with an epic, career-spanning 19-song set - battling the heavy St Jude storm that awaited outside and the sombre mood by the recent death of Velvet Underground legend Lou Reed to pull an impressive crowd and ignite the Eventim Apollo with a lively performance of classics and cuts from their latest album, Push The Sky Away.
"This song is stone-cold fucking classic," snarls Cave before jumping into the haunting brilliance of 'Mermaids'. Elegiac brand new track 'Give Us A Kiss' largely draws on the sparse and sombre sounds of their latest material, while 'Higgs Boson Blues' and 'God Is In The House' draw out that timeless balance between brute force and tenderness that makes the Bad Seeds so seminal.
Introducing the title track from said LP, Cave said: "This song is for Lou Reed. He died today. It's a very sad day."
Very sad, and it seems the ultimate nod to Reed that Cave should play such a dark and rumbling tribue track in his memory. Like Reed, the gothic godfather Cave also casts a towering and monolithic shadow over music. Quite literally so, as the menace of 'the wolfman' stalks and prowls the stage. It is a true sight to behold.
Jumping into the crowd to be propped up by fans, Cave stares into the whites of their eyes - hell-bent of giving a performance to remember them by. The ghostly majesty of 'Jubilee Street' entrances with it's sheer grace and elegance before the demonically-dark cult classics of 'From Her To Eternity', 'Stagger Lee', 'Hiding All The Way' and 'Red Right Hand' terrify yet delight the very core of all present. God bless you Nick Cave, you freaky mad bastard, you.
Watch Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds performing 'Give Us A Kiss' below'
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds played:
We No Who U R
Jubilee Street
Abattoir Blues
Tupelo
Red Right Hand
From Her to Eternity
West Country Girl
Mermaids
God Is in the House
Into My Arms
People Ain't No Good
Higgs Boson Blues
Hiding All Away
The Mercy Seat
Stagger Lee
Push the Sky Away (dedicated to Lou Reed)
Encore:
We Real Cool
Papa Won't Leave You, Henry
Give Us a Kiss (New song)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds UK and EU tour continues this week.
