Nick And The Bad Seeds - Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow, 31/10/2013

  by Tony Gaughan

published: 6 / 11 / 2013

intro

At a Halloween gig at the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow Tony Gaughan watches Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds play a masterclass set

What better way to spend All Hallow's Eve than with the gangling figure of Nick Cave and his Bad Seeds in the presence of over two thousand fanatical followers, some of whom had entered the spirit by ghoulishly dressing for the occasion. Zombies and the living dead were in vogue as the Gothic master Nick impeccably dressed in a black suit had them eating from the palm of his hand from the first note. Opening with 'We No Who U R' from their latest long player 'Push the sky Away', it was clear this was going to be a night to remember with the Bad Seeds in spectacular form throughout the two hour performance. Cave had a great rapport with the Glasgow crowd and 'Jubilee Street' and 'Mermaids' followed but, despite covering most of the 'Push the Sky Away', he still had plenty of time to devote to the vast swathe of previous hits from his back catalogue including 'Do You Love Me?' and 'Red Right Hand' from 'Let Love In'. With most of the band being multi- instrumentalists, the performance by the Bad Seeds included Barry Adamson and the bearded Warren Ellis swapping from guitar, piano, violin and even glockenspiel. Cave when he was not interacting with the crowd also got behind a piano to deliver an seemingly endless supply of songwriting genius. The many highlights including a stunning 'Stagger Lee' from 'Murder Ballads', the Bad Seeds' critically acclaimed ninth album. Cave clearly has an affinity for the Barrowland, and he commented on the "beautiful venue" whilst gazing up to the ceiling. And still they came. 'Higgs Bosson Blues','The Mercy Seat' and 'Push the Sky Away' finished a truly magnificent main set, but four encores followed including 'Deanna' and a heartfelt tribute to Lou Reed with 'Give Us a Kiss' which ended a masterclass from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds