Photo: Wenn.com
For an artist of Nick Cave's standing, a night at the Hammersmith Apollo is the equivalent of an intimate gig. Certainly to the fans, packing out the venue, it seems like a dream come true, and so fevered is the anticipation that most fans are straight out of their seats as soon as the first bar of 'Water's Edge' begins. This attention plays nicely to Cave's self-confident, near-devilish stage persona and he sets off at pace into a fairly lengthy and diverse set.
Though not strictly billed as a Bad Seeds gig, this stage in Cave's career provides most of the evening's entertainment, though often with a smoother interpretation from him and his band. The obligatory and harrowing 'Red Right Hand' for example becomes a jazzier, more fluid number – less the raging of a young man and more playfully embracing this wonderful song that has been written. 'Brompton Oratory' too loses some of its heat, though sounds far more contemplative as Cave hammers it out on his piano giving the intense lyrics something of a new depth.
The evening progresses through loud and quiet phases, with 'Higgs Boson Blues' through to 'From Her To Eternity' covering the rougher-edged material, even if lyrically the former doesn't necessarily feel like Cave's finer work. As 'Into My Arms' begins a more intimate, piano-driven period, Cave is recognisable as an artist who has learned to capitalise on the power of their more tender material. This is witnessed again, but in a darker form, on the doom-laden but classic 'Mercy Seat'. This ability to seamlessly move from the raucous to the serene is a powerful skill and part of the reason why an audience, though maturing in years, still demonstrate an adoration that would should Beliebers a thing or two.
Rounding off with 'Jubilee Street' before a packed encore of requests and classics, neither the performance nor the setlist could possibly leave any fan legitimately wanting more. The dark charisma of Nick Cave is still at full strength and based on this gig isn't going to fade any time soon.
