Brum Shots

Friday nights in Birmingham can often be loud, chaotic and unpredictable, and last night at the newly named BP Pulse Arena was certainly all three of these things. But for all the right reasons.

The Bad Seeds are the first to enter the stage when the lights go down, with the cheer for the eccentric multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis the loudest. Nick Cave is last to appear, starting the show on the stage before bounding into the audience.

Agile and energetic, he commands the crowd, all while giving out high fives and autographs to those closest.

With each song Cave introduces hands are thrown in the air in euphoria. And when he tells the audience to put their phones away and refrain from filming, they nearly all respect his request. It’s a worryingly rare sight at concerts nowadays, but was immediately abandoned at the opening notes of Peaky Blinders theme song ‘Red Right Hand’ (‘this one’s for fucking Birmingham!’)

‘Conversion,’ from the latest album ‘Wild Gods’ is a particularly enjoyable singalong moment. Even if it ends with Cave telling the audience that Birmingham is beautiful, ‘despite what others may say.’ The four backing vocalists fare invited to the front of stage for ‘White Elephant,’ in the outstanding crescendo of the performance.

If the night had ended there, I doubt a single soul would have left the venue disappointed. But the full band return for a final few songs, ending with a solo piano performance of ‘Into My Arms.’ Cave needn’t have sang a word as the audience carried it for him.

As the thousands filter out of the arena, I think to myself that loud, chaotic and unpredictable are three of many words that could describe what we’ve just witnessed. And although it’s difficult to fully comprehend the enormity of the performance, it’s clear that it was far from an average night in Birmingham.