Tied...

Bought yet another tie yesterday - black with silver floral swirls.

andricongirl pointed it out to me. I need a tie for an upcoming Black and White themed party. And yes, I'm aware that silver is not white. But we didn't find any proper black and white ties that were sufficiently beautiful. And ties are such fundamentally ridiculous items of clothing that there is no point in wearing one unless it is magnificent.

Did some writing, too, and worked on an outline for The Novel. Which was informative. I have a complete plot, and several subplots, but I'm currently going to be short a full novel by about 20,000 words.

Which is not a problem. The ideas will come.

Also watched Doctor Who again. The girlfriend is afraid I'm going to turn into a terrible Who-geek. But I think she's safe.

I mean, it's not like any geeky little redhead lesbian witches are going to turn up in the TARDIS.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds @ Melbourne Town Hall, 19th MAY 2005

(I’ve been a bit slow in getting this up. Sorry.)

It was a great gig.

Not as magnificent as the 2002 Forum show. But a great gig.

I think that’s the problem with me reviewing Nick Cave concerts. The Forum show was so magnificent, no subsequent concert can ever quite measure up. Nick’s older now. Blixa has left the band. And no venue could be more appropriate than the Forum. Any Bad Seeds show now is going to suffer in comparison.

So, there is that.

But anyone who tells you Nick has lost it is talking bullshit.

He’s different these days. He’s not the wild howling beast of his youth. On Thursday night, he was more like a gospel singer – exultant, tender, driven not by fire but by soul. He was energetic and charismatic, dancing loose-limbed across the stage. And the Bad Seeds were their usual mix of nonchalance, passion, and really nice suits.

The opening songs – Abattoir Blues, Get Ready for Love, Red Right Hand, Deanna – were played fast and loud, but didn’t quite gel. In fact, it was the much-derided slow songs that really struck me. Easy Money was sublime. God is in the House was played for all its humour. O Children was epic, one of the highlights of the show.

The other was The Mercy Seat. It started out with a jangled acoustic guitar and built to a howl.

The only downside to the concert was the dickhead in the crowd near us who kept trying to take a swing at some other punters (including a skinny, dark haired kid who looked like he could have been Nick Cave’s son). The bouncers ended up dragging him out.


I don’t remember the exact setlist, but I do remember him playing these songs. I can’t vouch for the order:

Abattoir Blues
Get Ready for Love
Red Right Hand
Deanna
Hiding All Away
Breathless
Easy Money
Babe You Turn Me On
Do You Love Me [?]
There She Goes My Beautiful World
The Weeping Song
Mercy Seat
O Children

[A song off the B-sides and Rarities album]
God Is In The House
City of`Refuge

Lyre of Orpheus
The Ship Song
Stagger Lee