Straight to You - Nick CaveTribute Show @ Enmore Theatre,Sydney (17/11/11)

Mon 21st Nov, 2011 in Gig Reviews

triple j celebrated Ausmusic month once again by paying homage to a classic Australian act – this time around it was Nick Cave and his back catalogue of Birthday Party, Boys Next Door, Bad Seeds and Grinderman songs. This was one colossal gig with not just one handful, but two handfuls of freakishly gifted Australian musicians.

Bertie Blackman and Muscles coupled up performing their version of Do You Love Me?, followed by Muscles on keys singing in a surprisingly sweet voice, Let Love In, which Muscles confessed was a personal pit fall of his own.

The time then came for rock chick Abbe May to shred on guitar and Kram to destroy the drums on Lie Down Here (And Be My Girl). Alex Burnett from Sparkadia performed a handsome rendition of Boys Next Door’s Shivers, looking like a modern day Elvis in a tight red shirt with the sleeves rolled up. The crowd got heated when Lanie Lane sauntered out to join Burnett on Where the Wild Roses Grow the pair playing the parts respectively and holding the audience captive.

Johnny Mackay channelled Cave in his version of The Birthday Party’s Nick the Stripper, bashing the microphone down several times making the stage crew work for their sweat. Mackay unexpectedly came to when charming the crowd before covering People Ain’t No Good.

Lisa Mitchell melted hearts, Jake Stone from Bluejuice got his reggae on, Urthboy put his own Australian hip hop mark on the night and then came Dan Sultan and Kram who stayed true to the rock origin smashing out Oh, Deanna which took the crowd hungrily into intermission.

The second half was just as substantial as the first, with Abbe May covering Grinderman and Adalita capturing the soul of the Bad Seeds Straight to You. The crowd definitely got their moneys worth with the surprise entrance of another Australian rock legend, Paul Kelly. Urthboy appropriately performed a killer but version of Stagger Lee Kram left his drum kit and traded his sticks for Lanie Lane’s guitar to play Henry Lee. The prowess of Lanie Lanie and Abbe May got blood pumping with their saucy account of Jack the Ripper.

The only disappointment of the night was ones hope of the man himself walking out on stage being crushed; having in mind the time is near from him to grace our shores with Grinderman for Homebake. Spirits were soon restored when all the artists returned on stage for the encore Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry. Here we witnessed all musicians involved, either being on instruments or backing vocals, dominated by Adalita on lead vocals and Johnny Mackay doing what he does best on electric guitar.