For those who think that Nick Cave's solo shows would be a merely a 'diet' version of the full Bad Seeds experience, think again.

Tonight, Cave is armed with less than half of his Bad Seeds and still manages to effortlessly woo, charm and terrorise his audience, opening with a disembowelled rendition of the normally mid-tempo, 'West Country Girl' and terminating (not just merely ‘closing’) with a thunderous ‘Jack the Ripper’.

The set, now a standard for his solo appearances, contains a hearty collection of Cave favourites with a twist: ballads 'The Weeping Song' and 'Henry Lee' are played as brutal rock rollercoasters, whereas the normally haunting 'Red Right Hand' is positively cheeky in comparison with the original. As well as serving up decent amounts of sex, violence and hedonism, Cave shows his pink and fluffy side with faithful renditions of 'The Ship Song' and the so-bad-it's-good, 'Rock of Gibraltar'. As well as ‘mid-Nick Cave’ favourites, there is a generous helping from the latest release Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus, including stand-out track ‘Hiding All Away’ – one of his most violent accounts to date.

This performance is solid evidence that, even in small numbers, Nick and the Seeds deliver the goods. Tonight’s showstopper-cum-natural disaster known as 'Tupelo', is so perfect that you could swear that for moment the heavens opened and completely destroyed the Symphony Hall – which may be no bad thing, since it is revolting.

With shows like this, Cave is a constant reminder to wannabe rock stars – this is how it should be done.   
(4/5)

Check for Live Dates