Live Performance Review: Nick Cave, Tuesday 28.04.2015 20:00 The Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh

This gig was advertised as a solo performance. This was not the case. He had some 'Bad Seeds' with him, though it was a parred back version to that which I have seen before and he did some songs by himself, which was nice. The setting and lighting was very nice and the view from where I was in the 3rd row could not have got much better. Nick and his chief collaborator, Mr. Warren Ellis, were superb showmen as always. 

This was the fourth time in total that I have seen Nick and his Seeds. I have seen them twice on the first leg of a tour after albums have come out and now twice with more distance to album releases. I prefer seeing him in the performances that have more distance to album releases as he tends to do more of a spread of work from across his career with the Seeds. This show had works spreading from his most recent album, back to the very first and contained many of my favourite songs by Mr. Cave. The performance lasted 2 & 1/4 Hours and was top notch throughout, what more could you want.  

Rating: 10/10.    

Film Review: 20,000 Days On Earth (15) (U.K. 2014) (Directors: Ian Forsyth & Jane Pollard), The Cameo Cinema Screen One, Edinburgh, Wednesday 17.09.2014 19:00

Many of you will now be aware that this is the documentary about that most revered of Aussies, Nick Cave. All that is seen in the film, apart from the footage of 'im and 'is band playing live, has a high degree of artifice to it. I am not daft enough to expect that music documentaries are entirely factual, though this is unusual in that there is no attempt to hide to hide the fakery. It all felt a tad too contrived for my tastes.  

I had pondered how to do this review. I suspect it will be most straightforward if I say that I did enjoy the film, though I did have issues with it. I particularly enjoyed the sections which had Nick talking about processes of thinking and creativity; I enjoy how he uses language and how he 'puts things'. I also greatly enjoyed the parts where Nick is conversing with his band-mate/compadre, Mr Warren Ellis. Warren has a presence I warm to and find endearing. I enjoyed the sections where Nick (& Warren) were discussing Nina Simone, though this is because I'm a Nina nut. I liked when Nick was reflecting on his earlier career, and found the detail he gave intriguing. I had wished there had been more of this, though also understand he finds it hard to recollect from these earlier times. 

I did not like the passages where he picks-up in his car and has short periods of reflection with Ray Winstone, Blixa Bargeld & Kylie Minogue. I did not feel these added anything, and were just a bit of fluff distracting from the more important elements. I felt there was too much focus upon the latest album and it's music to the detriment of his great previous work.

I felt it odd that there was a complete editing out of the Nick Cave 'story' of one Polly Jean Harvey. Nick had once referred to her as his muse (the break-up of their relationship is the basis to the entire 'The Boatman Calls' Album). Though now he does not like that term, as he feels it does not do justice to his wife, Suzie. 

The was another section where he was speaking with a psychoanalyst (who he has never met before or since). A part of this section which I found particularly revealing is that he states that he himself does not believe in god. The god type figure who he devised for his songwriting is purely a device. It was only days later I realised that this greatly annoyed me, as an element of his songs I greatly liked was the preacher-style fire-&-brimstone-stuff (a la 'Red Right Hand'). Sadly for me, if he does not mean this stuff, if it is all a performance, then I don't know if I can relate to it as I did. I'll have to wait and see, though I do think that there is an argument to say, if he does not mean it, then it is just another version of pop; which is the last thing I ever would have expected to have said about Nick Cave.

Finally, I do wish to make clear, the film does not inform of much. There are the occasional nugget or the odd insight slipping through the artifice, which again I think is entirely apt. This is entirely as it should be. I don't like it when a music documentary removes a performers mystique, and this certainly does not do that. The film also has several moments which are very funny. 

Rating: 07/10.             

Film Review: Lawless (18) (U.S.A. 2012) (Director: John Hillcoat), Sunday 09.09.2012, 15:30, The Cameo Cinema, Screen One, Edinburgh

This is a film scripted by Nick Cave and concerns the practice of bootlegging in the U.S. of A. in the early 20th century. It is the same writer and director combination as behind 'The Proposition' (2005), which when I got round to being able to see, I found to be fairly dreary.

In other reviews I've read, there is criticism of Tom Hardy's vocal performance. This strikes as lazy, as I found it perfectly acceptable and understandable (precisely the same criticism and rebuttal as regarded his performance in 'The Dark Knight Rises' (2012)). I think it has become the latest fad to hand out the same criticisms in regard to his work. Not that I think he is flawless - anyone who would connect themselves with the horse-shit that was 'This Means War' (2012), has questions to answer. Shia LaBeouf managed not to irritate as he usually does. Gary Oldman had so few scenes that it was hard to tell how good he was in his part. Guy Pearce was a cartoon baddie, and quite two-dimensional. Mia Wasikowska was not in the film for much, though did impress as the innocent that provides temptation for Shia.

The soundtrack provided the cheeky charm of the likes of the Velvet Underground's White Light/White Heat being performed in a bluegrass style. Sadly though the negatives outweighed positives. The story, plotting, staging, editing, frame composition and lighting offered nothing new. Does it not strike as lazy that what it takes for the community to come together against the baddie is their killing of the local disabled boy.

I was left with a thought of 'why bother to make such a film'. It was so mediocre, that it it would be difficult to find offensive as not dreadful in any way, though also I found had nothing to recommend. I think the combination of Hillcoat & Cave, may not be as potent as they appear to think it is. to I you have a particular thing for hicks, this may be up your street, otherwise don't bother.

Rating: 04/10.