Review: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds at Fremantle Park

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds at Fremantle Park
w/ Aldous Harding
Saturday, January 17, 2026

With a career spanning over a massive 50 years, the quintessential artist Nick Cave, together with The Bad Seeds, brought their much-anticipated live show to Fremantle Park last weekend, touring their 2024 album Wild God. Smothered in big band production and gospel-inspired harmonies, the live experience of Wild God was always going to be impressive, but impressive is an understatement, as Cave and his Bad Seeds, including the infamous Warren Ellis, put on a show that felt truly biblical and historic.

Fremantle Park was the first stop on the Australian leg of The Wild God Tour. A beautiful cool summer night in Fremantle welcomed eager fans of all ages (though mostly of the older variety), and it was a delight to see a rich variety of faces and styles of the people that had come from far and wide to witness the event. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are by no means a mainstream act that create and perform “pop” music; their music could be compared to fine art. With Cave’s rich history in writing, poetry and composition, this is music for the creatives, which attracted an authentically respectful and appreciative, music-loving crowd.

Support for the evening and tour was filled by New Zealand folk artist Aldous Harding, a big name in her own right in the indie music scene. Though her last release was back in 2022 with Warm Chris, her indie-goth-folk style was the perfect fit to open the event. Aldous appeared on stage in an oversized white shirt and black bike pants, accompanied by a keys player and baritone saxophonist. They delivered their set with style and grace, giving hints of Kate Bush in Harding’s eccentric vocal delivery. Highlights of the set were Horizon and Imagining My Man off her 2017 breakout album, Party, and Passion Babe off 2022’s Warm Chris. Some of the more delicate moments were overpowered by the chatter of a few disrespectful crowd members, a distraction that was the only real negative in an otherwise compelling opening set.

Always the consummate professional, the man in the suit appeared on stage at 8pm on the dot. The 11-piece band, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, positioned themselves on stage and eased into their first song, Frogs. The thick, rich sound of the orchestra-like ensemble provided a solid foundation for Cave’s visceral vocal performance, backed by the four silver-gowned gospel backing singers. In no time at all, Cave was right up at the front of the stage singing, engaging, touching and evoking the front row of the crowd with their hands reaching out for his touch. This opening bracket was made up entirely of newer tracks, with Wild God and Song of the Lake to follow, with Cave joking in between songs that he was dressed like a Mormon.

The first touch of older material came as he introduced the next song: “This is a very old song; it’s ancient, it’s coming to you in a Zimmer frame.” Charming and hilarious as ever, Cave was at home on the stage, and the crowd was in the palm of his hand as he joked with witty banter, and the crowd hung on his every word. O Children got them excited as it rose slowly, powered by the four backing singers, building into its hypnotic chorus, hitting its crescendo with Warren Ellis frantically soloing on his violin like a madman in the wind.

Then it was a trip through past albums with Jubilee Street off 2013’s Push the Sky Away, then way back to 1984’s From Her To Eternity from their debut album of the same name. Then it was back to Wild God for the ethereal and beautiful Long Dark Night and Cinnamon Horses with its haunting line of “Love costs everything.” A signature of The Bad Seeds sound are the percussive elements outside of conventional instruments; bells, chimes and shakers give the songs the extra edge, and it was exciting and interesting to watch these sounds being performed live by percussionist Jim Sclavunos in real time, instead of just being recalled on backing tracks as some other bands might do.

Tupelo off 1985’s The First Born is Dead brought the energy back with its guttural bass guitar being emotively and aggressively plucked by Colin Greenwood of Radiohead fame. Faces in the crowd were amazed as Warren Ellis lit up the giant screens singing the angelic falsetto vocal motif to Bright Horses. Is there anything this man can’t do? Cave really showed off his vocal prowess for The Skeleton Tree’s I Need You as he crooned, “Nothing really matters… I need you… just breathe.” Then Carnage was a surprise addition, a song off the Nick Cave and Warren Ellis collaboration album of the same name.

Red Right Hand was an obvious crowd pleaser. The audience was split into those that were dancing and writhing with the music and those that were dead still, mesmerised by what was happening on the stage in front of them.

Just when you didn’t want it to end came the final two songs of the set, The Mercy Seat and White Elephant. Cave is famous for his intense stagecraft and live performances, and after so many years of delivering, none of it has deteriorated; he moves and dances with style and poise that is unmatched, and his energy was relentless right up until the end.

Luckily the encore came quickly, as Cave gave a brief monologue introducing the next song as his wife’s favourite, as it was written about her, Wide Lovely Eyes. Hit after hit followed with the groovy Papa Won’t Leave You Henry and The Weeping Song before they closed with The Skeleton Tree.

After the goodbyes came an ACTUAL surprise encore, with Cave interrupting everyone’s exit with “Oh… I’ll do one last song” as he returned to the piano for what could only be Into Your Arms, and the crowd gave a collective gasp of excitement.

Of course the song is beautiful, but he added extra little piano flourishes and vocal ad libs that made it truly exquisite. The outro was magical as he let the crowd sing out “Into your arms” to the end song over his gentle solo piano. It was a moment that no one there will forget in a hurry.

This concert was up there with the best—a masterclass from a true master of the art. Cave was vocally amazing and physically at one with the music, a true entertainer in every sense of the word. With a magnetic personality that was made for the stage, backed by a band of virtuoso musicians that all have unique performing personalities of their own, it combined for one hell of a show. If Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds ever roll around to our little corner of the world again, make sure you don’t miss it!

ANTHONY JACKSON

Photos by Stu McKay