Monday, January 03, 2005
Nick Cave Review; Hamburg CCH, 21st November '04
Here is a review of the Nick cave concert I saw while living in hamburg, originally posted on the Nick cave Forum, but repeated here with accurate spelling (And to finally make the photos avaliable on-line).
I’m sad to say but the Hamburg show of Nick Caves tour was a mixed bag at best. The sound at front (audience) right was loud, very loud, too loud my friend thought. I didn't think it was, infact, perhaps it was not too loud enough, certainly not up to Motörhead levels. The backing chior where difficult to make out at times, and Mr. Cave voiced his complaints about his speaker, percussion very clear but violin lost at times.
The first half was rather average, I felt, some songs stood out far better than on the album, "Hiding All Away" came alive, and Warrens flute contribution on "Breathless" was great. Nick seemed to be getting a lot of words mixed up, notably in "Cannibals Hymn", but perhaps his mind was more focused on his top rate dancemoves. The best songs of the album where left off the setlist, no "Lyre of Orpheus" or "Fable of the Brown Ape", as a result I didn't by the Orpheus tea towel in protest (Who would want a tea towel of a song they didn't hear live?).
First half was however saved by "There She Goes, My Beautiful World", which prompted much weird dancing in my locality, and a few Ian Curtis moves from myself.
All gig I was holding my breath for the back catalogue portion, hearing whispers about "Lay Me Low" and "New Morning" being performed earlier on the tour. We got "Deanna" and "Red Right Hand" as openers, favourites, but heard them live three times now, and I wanted variety. That cruel Mr. Cave goaded us by mumbling a few lines of "Tupelo", in an absent minded singing in your head while filling in bank forms sort of way, but it went nowhere.
"City of Refugee" was good, not heard it before, but nothing special. The intro to "Stagger Lee" woke me up instantly, I would murder my family to hear it live, but to incredible disappointment, it just lacked something (Probably Blixa screaming the on the outro). The added final verse caused a giggle in the audience, a first. The second encore seemed slightly forced, but still, hearing "The Mercy Seat" made it all seem a bit better.
What I really liked about the gig was the powershift in the band. I think Jim Scalvonus finally has a place in the band worthy of his credientials, laying down heavy drums rather than playing the triangle and the odd brick solo. Instead his the dual drumming brings out the bands more Adam And The Ants qualities and cemented his importance to the bands new sound. Warren Ellis was clearly having a good time, odd to see him playing that guitar like instrument (What was that by the way?) and the flute, threw his bow about a fair bit to. James Johnston had good prescence to, not much guitar work as I though he would do, but his keyboard duties did a lot to replace the eclectic noise Blixa would produce, a difficult task so valiantly risen to.
Hard to think I've found myself writting a bad review of Nick Cave, never though I'd see the day, especially of a gig I'd came from England to see, but then hey, life sucks. Maybe that second night in London on the Nocturama tour was especially stunning and the standard can't be topped...
And he is defintly going bald, at a much rapidening rate.
I’m sad to say but the Hamburg show of Nick Caves tour was a mixed bag at best. The sound at front (audience) right was loud, very loud, too loud my friend thought. I didn't think it was, infact, perhaps it was not too loud enough, certainly not up to Motörhead levels. The backing chior where difficult to make out at times, and Mr. Cave voiced his complaints about his speaker, percussion very clear but violin lost at times.
The first half was rather average, I felt, some songs stood out far better than on the album, "Hiding All Away" came alive, and Warrens flute contribution on "Breathless" was great. Nick seemed to be getting a lot of words mixed up, notably in "Cannibals Hymn", but perhaps his mind was more focused on his top rate dancemoves. The best songs of the album where left off the setlist, no "Lyre of Orpheus" or "Fable of the Brown Ape", as a result I didn't by the Orpheus tea towel in protest (Who would want a tea towel of a song they didn't hear live?).
First half was however saved by "There She Goes, My Beautiful World", which prompted much weird dancing in my locality, and a few Ian Curtis moves from myself.
All gig I was holding my breath for the back catalogue portion, hearing whispers about "Lay Me Low" and "New Morning" being performed earlier on the tour. We got "Deanna" and "Red Right Hand" as openers, favourites, but heard them live three times now, and I wanted variety. That cruel Mr. Cave goaded us by mumbling a few lines of "Tupelo", in an absent minded singing in your head while filling in bank forms sort of way, but it went nowhere.
"City of Refugee" was good, not heard it before, but nothing special. The intro to "Stagger Lee" woke me up instantly, I would murder my family to hear it live, but to incredible disappointment, it just lacked something (Probably Blixa screaming the on the outro). The added final verse caused a giggle in the audience, a first. The second encore seemed slightly forced, but still, hearing "The Mercy Seat" made it all seem a bit better.
What I really liked about the gig was the powershift in the band. I think Jim Scalvonus finally has a place in the band worthy of his credientials, laying down heavy drums rather than playing the triangle and the odd brick solo. Instead his the dual drumming brings out the bands more Adam And The Ants qualities and cemented his importance to the bands new sound. Warren Ellis was clearly having a good time, odd to see him playing that guitar like instrument (What was that by the way?) and the flute, threw his bow about a fair bit to. James Johnston had good prescence to, not much guitar work as I though he would do, but his keyboard duties did a lot to replace the eclectic noise Blixa would produce, a difficult task so valiantly risen to.
Hard to think I've found myself writting a bad review of Nick Cave, never though I'd see the day, especially of a gig I'd came from England to see, but then hey, life sucks. Maybe that second night in London on the Nocturama tour was especially stunning and the standard can't be topped...
And he is defintly going bald, at a much rapidening rate.
