There was a point during the Nick Cave set at All Points East last night (Sunday 3rd June) when I pondered what the backstage chit chat between Patti Smith and Nick Cave would be like.
“Hey Patti” Nick probably drawled. “Cool opening to your set, reading Footnote to Howl by Alan Ginsburg.”
“Yeah”, responded Patti. “A poet after my own punk heart, man. I want people to THINK, to remember they are FREE! People Have the Power, you know, like I told them when I was back there on stage.”
“And wearing your John Lennon style specs to read the lyrics to Lennon’s Mindgames - genius touch,” added Nick. “That really touched me you know. And the audience - they went for it.”
Patti nodded: “You could feel the power of the crowd, the energy coursed through me. It was beautiful. When the crowd were all singing Gloria with me....”
Patti closed her eyes. “Nick” she muttered, “Nick, you summon up the power of demons, striding across that stage, commanding your band, kicking instruments over. You have the POWER Nick.”
Nick inhales deeply from his cigarette: “I have all that energy, all that anger, all that...DARKNESS...”
“You have me!” trills a perky Australian voice from the shadows. Patti and Nick both turn towards a figure that emits golden light, leaving sparkles on the ground as it moves towards them.
Patti screws her face up before the vision. Nick slowly smiles: “Eliza Day. I should be so lucky.”
Kylie grins toothily and the whole room lights up. “Do you like my dress? Let me give you a twirl!”
Sunday’s line up – the final day of the stand-alone APE Presents three-day festival within a festival – saw headliners Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds preceded by Patti Smith and her band. An iconic line up right there. But that wasn’t the end of it – Annie Clark better known as St Vincent, and Courtney Barnett also performed. New wave legends The Psychedelic Furs, garage rockers The Black Lips, ‘prince of tears’ Baxter Dury, activist songwriter Nadine Shah, breakout punk stars Shame and Japanese noise-rockers Bo Ningen all joined the bill too.
It was surreal. It was magnificent. It was surprising. Nick Cave swung from heartbreak, "Jesus Alone", to the tenderness of "Into My Arms" and sheer affection when he played what is apparently his wife’s favourite song, "Come Into My Sleep", right through to the brooding power of "Red Right Hand".
Kylie Minogue was his surprise guest, there to reprise their duet "Where the Wild Roses Grow". And the 40,000 strong crowd loved it, their favourite Australian couple.
Ms Minogue’s appearance seemed to inspire the crowd’s inner dance queen. Following a rousing, if emotionally raw, rendition of "Deanna", hundreds of people clambered onto the stage to join Cave and his band, dancing along to "Stagger Lee".
One icon a night is special. Three icons in one night is a once in a lifetime experience... Thank you Nick, Patti and Kylie.
Review by Michele Mervin