Nick Cave starts the show by commenting that he's unsure whether it has been four years or longer since he has last played in Australia, and that this is their (him and Warren Ellis) first show (at Festival Theatre on 22 November) to commence the Australian tour.
'Spinning Song' begins like he is reciting an opening passage from a religious text and his preacher with humming synth backing sets the scene for the next few hours to follow.There's no real introductions at this stage before Nick tell us: "Warren's going to sing this one," and his hirsute sideman contributes a wordless opening falsetto to 'Bright Horses'.
Early on, even with five others joining them onstage, it feels incredibly intimate. The current incarnation of the touring band consists of singers Wendi Rose, Janet Ramus and "the formidable" T. Jae Cole, Radiohead's Colin Greenwood on bass and keys, Larry Mullen on drums with Ellis mostly remaining hunched over a small keyboard on his knees – although occasionally contributing violin throughout.
Nick is clearly very happy with this band and following 'Night Raid', he turns to the singers and praises them: "F... you guys are good."
During 'Carnage', the stage lighting above the band is like the Aurora Borealis and Nick transcends the limitations of his voice amongst the uplifting beauty of the singers' voices and instrumentation as he sings the repeated refrain: "It's only love."
Afterwards, Warren bring us back to earth upsetting the flow by his occasional use of a spit bucket on stage next to him and Nick comments: "He's, uh, got this thing."
"Are you ready?" Nick asks band and audience alike before they launch into the thundering, repetitive, mechanical looping of 'White Elephant'. It is an indication of the violent energy of the Nick Cave of old and the first song of the night that you physically feel.
In the latter half of the song, there is a segue into pounding gospel as Nick sits down at the piano to bring the song to a close.
Between songs there is the occasional indistinct exclamation from the audience. Someone calls out "I love you," and Nick responds in kind before someone else asks: "What about Warren? Is he well?" To which Nick replies: "I don't know. I tried to give him something but he wouldn't eat it!"
Nick graciously defers to others throughout the show, and after 'Ghosteen' he invites Wendi Rose to step forward and sing the opening refrain to the beautiful 'Lavender Fields'.
The next couple of songs are performed by Nick nearly alone – 'Waiting For You' with Warren and 'I Need You' with the singers – before a cover of T Rex's 'Cosmic Dancer'. Warren picks up his violin and perched upon his chair, lifts his legs and feet and bends his knees into the semblance of a foetal position to play the vocal melody like some kind of mutant duet.
Nick muses whether or not to play 'Breathless', but then decides in favour and this is a sweet spot in the set before the extreme, contrasting, abrasive pounding electricity of 'Hand Of God'.
This song slows to a whisper before there is a pause and applause, and 'Shattered Ground' begins with a reprise of the closing whisper from that previous song but it is a song that is all intro and never really begins before leading into a pairing of 'Galleon Song' and 'Leviathan'.
Nick requests participation from everyone in the balcony to call out whenever he sings "balcony" during 'Balcony Man'. "They did it in London," he adds before an uplifting and positive performance and the band leave the stage momentarily.
Returning for the encore, Nick touches hands reaching from the audience and he comments: "You can touch me but I wouldn't touch Warren," before their first song back is the epic 'Hollywood', the behemoth ending appropriately in squealing whale noise as Nick recounts his take on the Buddhist tale Kisa and the Mustard Seed.
Prior to the next song, he announces: "It's a really old song. . . It's mid-period Nick Cave," and invites Janet Ramus to step forward for the murder ballad duet 'Henry Lee'.
The audience plays choir during 'Into Your Arms' before Nick dedicates 'Wide Lovely Eyes' to his wife, warning: "It's an extremely difficult song we haven't played it before. We probably won't play it again." At first there's a false start and then after the song finishes Nick voices his disappoint. "It was for Suzie and everything," he pines.
They make up for it with the slow build of 'Jubilee Street' that is rapturously received. During the classic 'Weeping Song' the band appear to lose their composure, engrossed by Warren's violin soloing as Nick leads the audience in some extended participatory percussion while Colin maintains the groove on bass.
Nick jokes the next song was written in lockdown with Adelaide in mind, inserting the city's name into the lyrics of 'Albuquerque' before the very long and successful set ends with 'Ghosteen Speaks' having sated an audience that had been made to wait far too long.
