Nick Cave Tribute Concert

One of the weirdest things is happening on my telly(ABC2) right now as I write. It's some kind of tribute concert to Nick Cave by indie and ...ugh!.. roots artists from like over a year ago. Its like the kids get to dress up and play Nick Cave for a night. It's truly horrible. Some of these artists should know better ie. Kram from Spiderbait who's holding down the drum spot and a bit of singing. I can't see the point at all. Nick Cave usually tours Australia once a year so you get to see him do his stuff regularly. The thing is none of these people are makin it their own, you know like what a worthwhile cover version is all about. Funnily enough Nick Cave is very good at doing this as heard on his excellent LP of covers from 1986 Kicking Against The Pricks. Some jock just did a Chuck Berry style version of Deanna. I guess Lisa Mitchell the former Australian Idol contestant turned The Ship Song into a Lisa Mitchell song, make of that what you will. Also guess what kids? Nick Cave's not dead! Hang on Paul Kelly's shown up and whatever he sings can only ever be a Paul Kelly song. He's turned Nobodies Baby Now into a song you would believe he wrote. Not only that it sounds like one of his best songs ever and it coulda been on his classic LP Comedy. Now that's how you do a cover! Is the singer from Magic Dirt tone deaf? She's turned Straight To You into something truly horrid. Very bad indeed. I want to go home now. Oh but I am at home. Hang on, you thought it couldn't get any worse but now some dude's doing a reggae version of The Weeping Song. Wow! This is comedy gold! You know what else is strange? There's bloody thousands of people at this concert. What are they doing? There's way better things to spend your time and money on. For instance chocolate, drugs, helping the needy or I don't know watching DVDs of Melrose Place. Wait more comedy! Some Aussie hip hop guy has taken the stage and is doing Stagger Lee, not really a Nick Cave song but whatever. They've turned into some lame rock opera of truly cheap proportions. Hey that's entertaining but that doesn't mean it's good. Now some bird in terrible red pants, no hang on, the worst pants ever worn is covering The Mercy Seat. This is so awful it's almost good. Abbie May plays guitar on Jack The Ripper and there is no doubting her talents on the axe. She's fucking incredible. Blixa wouldn't hate what she's up to. Then the footy player in the C & W shirt is back singing Get Ready For Love making me feel sick. Now Blixa would hate this as would Nick I reckon and as do I. Some time in the mid 90s I was drunk in the front bar of The Punters Club and Up Jumped The Devil came over the stereo. I proceeded to do a legendary performance and so memorable it was that many weeks later someone in attendance presented me with a Bad Seeds T-shirt (which I still have to this day). What I'm sayin is you shoulda been there for that and not at this absurd display.

Good cover.