So, I’ve decided to dip my toe back into live music reviews.
And I’ve chosen to start with Nick Cave, why? Because I’m clearly a bleep-ing idiot.
If you’re looking for 2026 Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds head here.
I’m very much in my Nick Cave era. I read Nick Cave lyrics in my spare time the same way Alex Turner reads a dictionary, so you’d better believe I was first in that (digital) line when tickets came out for his solo tour (with Colin Greenwood).
Now, I don’t love the Plenary Theatre as a venue. It’s a weird shape and I worried the sound quality wouldn’t be great, but for this kind of show it worked perfectly. The audience was the right size to feel energised, yet personal and it’s hard to imagine anyone not having a good view. The vibe was definitely more of “an evening with” rather than a raucous Bad Seeds gig.
Featuring Nick centre stage on a piano with Colin Greenwood alongside playing bass guitar, it’s a vulnerable place to be as an artist, though it’s a position Nick has clearly become more comfortable with in recent years, since his ‘Idiot Prayer’ shows.
Old favourites were reimagined as they ploughed through a catalogue of hits whilst also touching on some lesser known / heard of Nick’s creations. While friendly and jovial with the audience, the focus remained clearly on the music.
“It feels like he’s in my living room” exclaimed one concert goer in the bathroom. And there was definitely something captivating and magically intimate about the evening. At one point, towards the end of ‘I Need You’ as the stage falls dark and Nick approaches the end of the song you feel the audience take a collective breath. Nick has spoken numerous times about his songs coming alive when performed and there’s something profound about experiencing that live.
For a man with such an extensive catalogue, you’re always going to be left with disappointments of favourites not played. But the evening wasn’t about us, it was about watching one of the most prolific musicians of our time taking a journey through his art. We just got to go along for the ride.