Gig review: Nick Cave

Published on Wednesday 14 October 2009 18:57

NICK CAVE **** PICTURE HOUSE, EDINBURGH

"IF YOU want to ask me questions", Nick Cave told his audience, "I'm here. At your service." "What are you selling?", someone pipes up. And Cave, giving an amused snort, wheels and strides to his piano. "You see? You can ask me shit like that all night."

This was a question-and-answer session, a literary event in support of Cave's second novel The Death of Bunny Munro and most exciting of all, a semi-acoustic greatest hits set played alongside fellow Bad Seeds Warren Ellis (fiddle, guitar and percussion) and Martyn P Casey (bass). His answers to each yelled-out question involved more humour than revelation, including an off-the-wall observation about his wife shaving off his recently sported moustache when he was unaware ("I'm quite angry. Sorry to all you guys with moustaches in the front row"). There were impromptu book signings amidst the three dry, cynical, darkly hilarious readings he gave, and also an admission that he would like Ray Winstone to play the title role, should the novel ever be filmed.

The musical side of the event was about as perfect a selection of Cave songs as could be imagined, including The Mercy Seat, Tupelo, Into My Arms, Dig Lazarus Dig!!!, Do You Love Me and The Ship Song – there was even a version of the eponymous track from this trio's side project, Grinderman. If the informality of the setting affected these interpretations ever so slightly, with Cave corpsing a little during a couple of the gentler songs, this was still a unique experience for dedicated fans.