Nick Cave & The Cavemen, Electric Ballroom, 1984 (HD)

Nick Cave & The Cavemen
Electric Ballroom, Camden, London
12 April 1984

[@josenavarro6695]

Line Up: Nick Cave/ Blixa Bargeld (Guitar) Barry Adamson (Bass) Hugo Race (Guitar) Mick Harvey (Drums) Setlist: 0:03 I Put a spell on you. (Screaming jay hawkins cover) 05:36 Well of misery. 12:05 Mutiny in heaven (Birthday party song) 17:36 In the Ghetto ( Mac Davis song, sung by Elvis Presley in 1969)

[@owenwilberforce6138]

I saw them June of ‘84 in Pasadena California opening for the Cramps. This takes me back to that show, that era with Barry Adamson for From Her To Eternity tour. Having loved Birthday Party for their madness, I also admired The Bad Seeds embracing of sadness as well, as an additional vibe to their tonal pallette. Here though the raw razor of Tracy Pew is replaced by Adamson’s chorus bass, and Blixa takes Rowland’s Fender crackle of chilling reverb to new levels of dissonance, and bluesiness as well. Mick Harvey as foil, as co-conspirator left the Birthday Party sledgehammer beat stay in the mix, and here Cave leaps into a psycho-blues that slows down time by providing no easy cliches.

[@owenwilberforce6138]

@Mr Oneiroman - I understand why you feel that way. The Cramps were great but when they had to follow Nick it was kind of a complete change of vibe. The Cramps were absolutely great, but Nick was really original and different from anything going on at that time. By the 90’s they were still great but not as menacing as at first. After Tender Prey it got really piano ballad minor key heavy and I must say it was still great but not the same. I wished I could have seen Rowland live! I did see Crime and the City Solution without Rowland and they too were brilliant, with Mick Harvey playing drums. They knew how to slow time down, much like early Bad Seeds.

[@owenwilberforce6138]

@Mr Oneiroman - My favorite singers would be Peter Murphy of Bauhaus. I also loved Daniel Ash in Tones on Tail. Crime and the City were really moody, had cool bass and violin parts, and the singing was classic. I also found my way into Dylan, Cash, John Lee Hooker and Leonard Cohen through Nick Cave’s influence and for that I am always grateful. I also love rockabilly and old country/folk/bluegrass. What Cave did was shine light on what held up from before. It was always about authenticity and finding the true artists. Great singers like Elvis Presley also are wonderful to study. It matters that so many before put their lives into their songs and we owe it to ourselves to invest time into rediscovering their lessons. To me it puts a foundation into culture that holds up.

[@owenwilberforce6138]

@Mr Oneiroman - Some singers just are born with magical pipes. Peter Murphy has it, Dave Vanian of The Damned, Richard Butler of Psychedelic Furs. Michael Allen of Wolfgang Press. Vocals are the great gift if you are blessed with a distinctive sounding voice. Scott Walker was also an influence on Bowie who has an incredible voice. This is also true of Elvis and Sinatra, they had vocal gifts that kept on giving. I will check into Peter Hammill- thanks for that reference. I love Beefheart, Howling Wolf and of course Tom Waits for that matter- all from a similar vein but Wolf was The Godfather of Blues. Just like Muddy, another stunning voice. Will check out Nadir and familiar with Pop Group but will investigate. Another key influence on Cave surprisingly is The Fall- who are the logical forefathers of another brainiac- Half Man Half Biscuit. Highly recommend Scott Walker for some really artful music.

[@owenwilberforce6138]

@Mr Oneiroman - You were so right about Pop Group and listening it’s clear it had an interesting influence on BP. It is really interesting with Scott Walker, I admire his almost cinematic approach to songwriting. He sets a scene and the last 20 years were similar but so much less like the 60’s- more mysterious and enigmatic. Mark Smith is incredible and his distaste for “musos” I believe he calls serious students of music. It is interesting what you can come up with if your job is to deconstruct all the seriousness in culture. I think of Smith as a satirist writing songs, but there is a lot to muse about. I appreciate your angle on your favorite artists, I always learn new things from people willing to share their tastes.

[@owenwilberforce6138]

@Mr Oneiroman - Wow, just wow to seeing Joy Division. Absolutely love Unknown Pleasures as far as the best post punk music out there. Buzzcocks from Manchester are another favorite. Having never been to England I have a long list of places I want to visit just for the musical connections. It’s cool to hear about gigs in the time you were part of. I also love Nick Drake and hope to visit Tanworth in Arden it is I believe? Britain just created so much that I revere and certainly Joy Division were just riveting. We here in California would sort of daydream of rainy days in Britain. While my English friends would tell me how much they love our sunshine. Funny how that works.

[@nutts2020]

Awesome! The short overlap between the Birthday Party and the Bad Seeds - and in fantastic quality. Thanks for finding and sharing this - it's amazing to see footage from this period!!!

[@msmithbingham]

absolute classic night from my youth - listening to NC to this day.

[@adam4-dotz349]

Wow, I was there!.....I can actually see and hear myself in the opening crowd melee....Happy days, and Cave was fantastic: you could tell he was going to be a massive star....Respect due from this Old Goth....

[@fes121tas]

That must have been fucking awesome! Wish I was there :)

[@redalligator8342]

Me too. I remember the look of contempt he gave that couple who got on his stage. He showed more self control then when he tried to throttle a stage hand at the lyceum

[@sportsfreundberlin]

Actually he was a massive underground star at the time. I didn't expect that the band would calm down so much and become mainstream the way they did.

[@hmao4466]

When we were young...

[@herrlastmann1896]

GOD DAMNIT ! This must be my find of the year! Thanks for sharing, Morgan!

[@amitgeambashu2592]

Same here dude !

[@amitgeambashu2592]

Defrent year tho

[@anfangnah]

Damn! That was my time 😀 At that time, Nick was still an uncut diamond. But look at him now 💎👌

[@paulotonedef]

I was reading about this gig in Bad Seed, just this morning. Meaningful coincidence, indeed. I like how Hugo tunes his guitar mid-song, like it matters.

[@buttholesandwich3308]

Set list: 0:04 I put a spell on you 5:35 well of misery 12:05 mutiny in heaven 17:37 in the ghetto

[@ItsonlymeSB]

This is so what I needed. Thank you and Nick ...thank you more

[@rockloctopus]

This performance sounds like none of the instruments being played want to be there.

[@MatriX606023]

Simply awesome.. thank you for uploading

[@zerozero1zerozero100]

Baddest man on the planet

[@carolwolf9614]

I was there. Good Lord. Thanks for uploading this.

[@Ama749]

Holy Cow! I can't imagine being there.🎸🚬💉

[@douglasarthur2673]

"He's going to grow to be an angry (young) man someday". Ain't it the truth? FraKking awesome.

[@TheBistoKid100]

On 'In the Guetto', guitar puts me in mind of what Stacy Sutherland did with The 13th Floor Elevators on 'Rose and the Thorn'. Thanks, Morgan.

[@GravyDaveNewson]

thanks for sharing this

[@allbearsrule]

this is profoundly awesome!

[@jamescrickmay8147]

Two weeks later Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds played Hammersmith Palais.The support was the first ever London appearence by Sonic Youth who opened their set with Thurston immediately smashing up his guitar.

[@thomasnygaard4514]

How .... cool 🙄

[@torstenjosephkartelmeyer4623]

I was 14een... loved it... same as Die Haut, BAUHAUS, BRÖTZMANN MASSAKER.....

[@lenamoocow]

OMNickCaveG this is amazing!

[@juliusaugustino8409]

The fretless bass is a nice touch

[@patrickthompson9022]

I miss Blixa.

[@PatientenO.T.]

We all do, however he still alive and making incredible music with his own band and has been since he left the Bad Seeds. I love his music with them every bit as much as the Bad Seeds. Einsturzende Neubauten kicks butt.

[@100milnic]

Never seen footage of Hugo Race with early Bad Seeds before - he is almost a dual front man like Rowland Howard was in Birthday Party.

[@mehhhhist]

i suspect that's why hugo got kicked from the band? it sort of detracts from cave being the frontman

[@TheMimifur]

Memories....

[@amitgeambashu2592]

Best one ever

[@sdstern68]

I was there 16 years old

[@JackFromBeatStrings]

Holy shit! This was on my third birthday!

[@dj9ry]

fuckin brilliant!!!!! cheers Morgan!!!

[@tryfishin9]

Everything about this show is great! "Turn it up!" ha! I think that's Lydia dancing at the end of In The Ghetto. Stage dive fail!

[@ZeroFox1970]

Nick having a good hair day.

[@serenechaosuk4682]

In his primeval days of nihilistic, bleak, noisy music, before he defined his sound and created tender, refined, poignant and beautiful LPs like Good Son + No More Shall We Part. This is good too mind, just very different !

[@rubenantaglez8641]

y pura poesia

[@squareysquare3150]

Rats in Paradise! Rats in Paradise! ahh, Brings back memories, especially that shirt..

[@TheThetechnician]

“Shut up Dingo”classic Mick Harvey

[@flannerymonaghan-morris4825]

So this is the early incarnation of what would soon become the bad seeds, huh…

[@nicknickson3650]

nice

[@TheThetechnician]

Heroin

[@jfdblues]

This is the most disturbing version of, "I put a spell on you", that I have ever heard

[@DittonWilson]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6XPq5KAapyYZqM

[@Ubenesto]

tan precioso como el pozo de dolor y miseeria en la que me encuentro cada dia y lucho por salir de él, tirado en una maloliente cama, costilla contra costilla de roca, si esto es el cielo, oh dios mio, que no pare el tren que me tiro en marcha, Hoy es un día tan bueno como cualquiera para amotinarse en este puto ghetto del infierno

[@baronsaturday9529]

Isn't this in La Edad De Oro in Spain? It says so in the end credits, and it looks like that venue too. Many great artists like Cave played there in that period!

[@darylcumming7119]

The eighties.

[@ericrhodes5174]

Barry Adamson is a god

[@thedoc1210]

rock n roll from the most fucked up depths of hell

[@coenvanhall6598]

I saw them at new years eve 1983/84 in the christal ballroom, st kilda. Not this one, cause I was on my way back to Holland and in Papua New Guinea at the time. If I would have to compare, in Birthday Party land. Nicj Cave, Man or myth it was. I prefer the BP, that was myth. Wild and not reciting ol'blues only. Ah well, each their own growth or how to call it.

[@nickpetricevic5976]

anyone know what the song is during the credits?

[@truefunksoul8638]

How is this not The Bad Seeds? Hugo was in the band in 1984.

[@DeanWesterfield]

at this point they were calling themselves the Cavemen. That lasted about 6 months. Yeah, this the Bad Seeds by another name

[@bunkx351]

such an incredible show, death in june as support - cave / the groop were spot on. i had really hoped this was the direction of travel, First Born is Dead confirmed what the In the Ghetto single had suggested - it was not the direction of travel, sadly.

[@oldcourtroad]

I was there too...were Swans on the bill too?

[@bunkx351]

@@oldcourtroad - pretty sure they were not. The Moodists might have played but i am very unsure on that. DIJ wore all white army winter clothing. I saw Swans in Feb 86 at ULU with Mark Stewart and the Mafia supporting, had Swans played in the UK before that? I guess so but cannot find proof.

[@davidb8731]

Yes the Moodists supported, and the Mutant Preacher (who I didn't see). They'd played a secret gig at Brixton the night before (I think the Fridge) and though it was billed as the Cavemen we knew they were called the Bad Seeds on the night.

[@mesolithicman164]

I think I was at this one. The Moodists were support. It's pretty rough. Probably under- rehearsed. Not as good as the Birthday Party, not properly formed as the Bad Seeds.

[@b00boy95]

that fucking outfit that Nick has on. Where can I find one like that

[@michalonbukowian7103]

Who is dancing at the end? :)

[@toyaquiyvoyaya]

setlist???

[@BjornZenner-km4cv]

Himmel hilf

[@rubenantaglez8641]

Esto si era very punk rock eh

[@mileristeski8369]

Nick Cave thats its all

[@grahamfuray2106]

is this the birthday seeds?

[@elizabethhann4028]

Ha! Ha! Ha! Sort of.

[@Lieu3C4]

After The Birthday Party broke up, NCave tooled around with The Cavemen for a while (sort of like Tex Perkins and Friends after The Beasts of Bourbon ran dry) before The Bad Seeds done got him but good.

[@xwarx1000]

👍😄😄

[@paulotonedef]

The boys next birthday bad.

[@jonnyjaywick]

I was at this and Im sure it was the Bad seeds

[@DeanWesterfield]

Yes, they became the Bad Seeds but at this time they called themselves the Cavemen. Listen at about 17:20 you'll hear the name. Thank God, they switched to the Bad Seeds.

[@sejamstihm]

Nick Cave will lead you surely into darkness. That's no place to be when you die. Pledge allegiance to Jesus to get a hook out of there.

[@atomaalatonal]

i preferred rowland s howard. compared to him the cave stuff was poserrock as the posing was an integral part of caves music.

[@jamesvincent1434]

Listen to the original version of this tune. 100% better, and zero posing

[@jamesvincent1434]

So it is cool and or hip, to have big hair, sing in an limited, off key way w/jagged guitar music I guess? In that case, I am not hip nor cool, and zero desire to be. Hipster/poseur persona is untrue. False idols