A lot has been made of the apparent misogyny of Nick Cave. But then again what hasn’t? Branding and categorisations have followed him around for the duration of his career. Questions about his religious beliefs, his drug addictions and his plagiarisms, all muddy the waters when trying to understand the man who comes from a small town in rural Victoria. What is often hinted at, but never properly expressed, is that it is all of these dynamics which make Nick Cave as interesting as he is. It is also why he has sold out the Hammersmith Apollo tonight.
The incumbent king of Australian rock attracts a morbid fascination, and the endless interviews and theses that have centred on him can be read and interpreted in a number of ways, and have no doubt been written about far more since the formation of Grinderman. However, once you’ve waded through the tracts and reviews one thing becomes apparent above all else: Cave is still here.
Tonight he plays the part of preacher: standing above his west London congregation in the church that is normally home to placid comedians. He is above all he surveys and delivers his most recent sermon, Grinderman 2, in its entirety. It’s an album which has seen Cave continue on with bandmates, and fellow Bad Seed members, Ellis, Casey and Sclavunos. The conclusion? Grinderman feel looser than the Bad Seeds ever were, and make fun of themselves with self-referential lyrics rife throughout the performance. Much has been made of them being a ‘mid-life crisis’ band, and perhaps they are. It should however be noted that Dig, Lazarus Dig!!!, arguably one of the best Bad Seeds albums, was released after Grinderman’s debut.
Most members of this audience must be acutely aware of this point and the glorious malevolence of the Bad Seeds hangs in the background, just out of site but always holding a presence – like catching site of Mr. Hyde whilst talking to Dr. Jekyll. This is never truer than at one point when the eerie lizard-man shadow of Cave illuminates the entire wall of the Apollo. It’s quite a moment.
Do Cave and the rest of Grinderman play up to the roles they’ve been prescribed by the media and academics? Undoubtedly, but whilst watching him on stage it’s hard not to be glad of it: sometimes it’s easier to fall into those old stereotypes than is let on. It’s more fun too.
Words by Samuel Ballard
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View a photo gallery from Grinderman’s recent gig in Leeds HERE.
