Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
-Chronology I-

Nick Cave and Mick Harvey's previous band The Birthday Party finished their last recordings of the "Mutiny!" EP @ London's Britannia Row Studios in August 1983. During September Nick contacts Mick and a few other friends to join him in the studio for what was initially planned as his first solo EP, "Man Or Myth" for release on Mute records.

20-Sep-83/Oct-83
UK London-Shoreditch,The Garden Studios (@ 1 Holywell Lane): "From Her To Eternity" album (initialy "Man Or Myth" solo EP) recording sessions. Recorded are: "Saint Huck", "A Box For Black Paul", an early version of "From Her To Eternity" and "Wings Off Flies" (this song was initialy recorded with The Birthday Party @ the Hansa Ton studios,Berlin in April 1983). Engineered by Flood (Mark Ellis).

Photo: Google street view, 2020.

Note 1: So when Cave began recruiting musicians for his first solo project in September 1983, Bargeld was one of the first to be invited, along with Mick Harvey and Melbourne-born Jim Thirlwell - a long-time friend of The Birthday Party [...] "Nick asked me to try to write some stuff with him," explains Thirlwell. "We sat around the piano at Lydia Lunch's house in West Kensington. Nick already had some words he's written with [Melbourne friend] Pierre Sutcliffe. But he'd written way more words than made it into the song. Around that time he was losing the words to songs all the time. He'd have these plastic bags of lyrics, then lose them, then try to write them again from memory." The first session was at Garden Studios in London with Cave, Harvey, Thirlwell and Bargeld. [...] "It was all very fragmented," says Thirlwell. "We did a version of Wings Off Flies, then a really joyous and upbeat version of From Her To Eternity.[...] "If Nick was on speed or heroin his mind was either racing or he was nodding off," explains Harvey. "Whatever, he couldn't really concentrate long enough to get through a take. So with those first songs he just got me to play the piano along to the guide vocal. That just left everything wide open." But it was not a process that suited Jim Thirlwell. "Jim's approach was too methodical," says Harvey. "He was trying to line everything up. Basically, Nick needed to make a fool of himself. That's the reason Tracy [Pew] wasn't invited. He'd have just been making fun of Nick any time he was being a bit pretentious. "It was all in the service of the song," says Adamson. "Nick would come at it in the moment, throwing stuff away, starting something new, picking up on something, almost like he had no idea how it was gonna turn out. You were constantly startled by the ideas he was bringing into the studio. Of course, you played it cool, but in the back of your mind you're going, 'Fuck me.'" From Andrew Male's Bad Seeds feature in Mojo magazine, June 2020.

Note 2: "There's Mick Harvey on the drums. His unbalanced aggression alone is worth the price of admission. During 'Wings Off Flies', he smashes the kit so hard that I wait for it to fall apart, while I stumble and scratch around, looking for a bass line. Blixa is in and out of time with a deconstructed blues guitar. [...] Nick, his star ascending, pulls and pushes, playing hard with that ersatz Southern Gothic. [...] 'Saint Huck' is being developed. I establish that the bass should just repeat and repeat as if in a world of its own connected to the central character's mind. His rhythm, if you like. The right side of his brain that just keeps going like that old rollin' riverboat Nick is singing about. There's a beautiful and unnerving chaos as everyone picks their own tempo. [...] Where is Nick going with these songs: Even I know that what is happening, right here in the Garden, will forever change the course of musical history." Recollections by Barry Adamson from his memoir "Up Above the City, Down Beneath the Stars" (2021).

Note 3: The Garden Studios were designed by Andy Munro, and owned by John Foxx [Ultravox!] through the 80's, and sold to Matt Johnson [The The] in the early 90's. The studio was closed down in 2012.

Oct-83
UK London-West Kensington, Alvic Studios: Nick Cave records "Vixo" for Annie Hogan's "Plays Kickabye" album (with Jim G. Thirlwell and Marc Almond). Engineered by Richard Preston.

Note 1: Nick Cave writes lyrics, provides vocals and produces "Vixo", with Annie Hogan [Marc and the Mambas] (on piano) and Budgie [Siouxsie and The Banshees] (on drums and harmonica). Alvic Studios (a 16-track studio) was part of Dinosaur Discs (record shop), located @ 17 Barons Court Road, and opened in June 1980. It was opposite the Nashville Room, punk club.

Note 2: "I met Nick Cave through Jessamy Calkin and friends of mine that lived on a houseboat on Chelsea Wharf. Nick and Jim Thirlwell also frequented Some Bizarre in the Soho days when it was situated above Trident studios. Jessamy introduced me to Nick Cave and Anita Lane, and I stayed with them over in Brixton for a bit before I moved into Lydia Lunch’s flat [@ Baron's Court Road] during the 'Kickabye' sessions. Nick and Anita were both gorgeous and generous to me, and while Anita gave me the EP’s 'Kickabye' poetic branding, Nick allowed me insight into his incredible writing style which I think was at an embryonic moment as he was metamorphosing into a new solo venture. At Alvic studio in West London, I laid down an experimental bluesy piano line and a keyboard string part and then Billy McGee on double bass, Budgie perfect on a minimal kit with a loose jazz feel and harmonica. Nick was keen to experiment and put all the instruments through effects and loops, reversing his own harmonica part and then eventually adding vocals through a series of effects. He got on great with engineer Richard Preston, as did we all, and an otherworldly feral soundscape was constructed, Anne Stephenson and Gini Ball’s strings completed the dark musical narrative and meanwhile, Nick was constantly re-writing the lyric, on a small notebook writing this haunting film script that became the incredible ‘Vixo.’ I watched in awe as he wrote and then poured out that deep visceral agony, from his innate understanding of story and performance, which he has developed continuously throughout his career. I was fortunate to have been exposed to his intrinsic sense of music and song at this pivotal time. I’m sure it was good for him too, a chance to experiment without any ‘chains’ of purpose except the art of collaboration and enjoy the musical interpretation of his ideas surrounded by similarly instinctive musicians."
Annie Hogen interviewed by Robert Gourley for PleaseKillMe.com, 2019.

Oct-83
UK London-West Kensington, Alvic Studios: Nick Cave (with Blixa Bargeld, Mick Harvey, Barry Adamson and Annie Hogan) spend one week recording the backing tracks for the 3 upcoming Immaculate Consumptive live shows in the US, with Lydia Lunch, Marc Almond and Jim Thirlwell.

During November/December 1983 (after the 3 Immaculate Consumptive shows on the East Coast) Nick Cave stays in Los Angeles. Nick, requested by compatriotes Evan English and Paul Goldman (aka The Rich Kids), starts writing a film script based upon the "Swampland" song narrative, which later turned into "Ghosts ...Of The Civil Dead". In December Nick Cave returns to Melbourne.

03-Dec-83
AU Melbourne-Collingwood,The Club

Setlist: Ring Of Fire [Johnny Cash].

Listing: Scan of listing from The Age, 02-Dec-83.

Note: Nick Cave guests at a Big Swamp Combo concert.

31-Dec-83
AU Melbourne-St.Kilda,Seaview Hotel(former Crystal Ballroom)
[with Bohdan's Jika Jika, Painters and Dockers, Olympic Sideburns]

Setlist: Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Swampland/ Pleasure Avalanche/ A Box For Black Paul/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Wings Off Flies/ Vixo/ Jennifer's Veil/ Saint Huck.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Ad: Scan of advert from The Age, 30-Dec-83.

Article: Scan of article from The Age, 30-Dec-83.

Note 1: First Nick Cave concert. At the time Cave was in the 'wilderness' and without management. He was contacted by concert promoter Ken West ("Big Day Out" festival organizer 1992-2014) to set up a tour. Hugo Race [then Plays With Marionettes], Tracy Pew [ex- Birthday Party], Mick Harvey [then also briefly in Plays With Marionettes] and Barry Adamson (then on honeymoon with his Australian wife, Caitlin) were recruited to complete the band. Without Blixa Bargeld because he was preparing for the "Concerto for Machinery and Voice" at the ICA in London, 03-Jan-84.

Note 2: Mick Harvey on keyboard for "A Box For Black Paul".

05-Jan-84
AU Sydney-Surry Hills,Musicians Club
[with Plays With Marionettes]

Setlist: Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Swampland/ Pleasure Avalanche/ Saint Huck/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Wings off Flies/ Jennifer’s Veil/ From Her To Eternity/ A Box For Black Paul.

Flyer: Photo of flyer.

Photo 1: Photos by Leigh Henry.

Photo 2: Photos by Tony Markham.

Ticket: Photo of ticket by Tony Markham.

Note: Second Nick Cave concert. Hugo Race [later in '84 in The Cavemen/Bad Seeds] and Edward Clayton-Jones [later in '84 in The Bad Seeds] then played in Plays With Marionettes. Mick Harvey also drums witgh Plays With Marionettes. "Wings Off Flies" was broadcast by 2JJJ-Sydney in Jan-84. Tim Whitton did the live sound.

06-Jan-84
AU Sydney-Surry Hills,Musicians Club
[with Plays With Marionettes]

Poster 1: Photo of poster.

Poster 2: Photo of generic poster.

Article: Scan of article from The Sydney Morning Herald 06-Jan-84.

Note: Third Nick Cave concert. Mick Harvey also drums witgh Plays With Marionettes.

07-Jan-84
AU Sydney-Surry Hills,Musicians Club
[with Plays With Marionettes]

Ad: Photo of advert.

Note: Fourth Nick Cave concert. Mick Harvey also drums witgh Plays With Marionettes.

13-Jan-84
AU Melbourne-St.Kilda,The Venue
[with The Feral Dinosaurs, Chris Bailey]

Setlist: Pleasure Avalanche/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Swampland/ Wings Off Flies/ Mutiny In Heaven/ A Box For Black Paul/ Jennifer's Veil/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen].

Ad: Scan of ad from The Age 07-Jan-84.

Note: Fifth Nick Cave concert. Show started at 1AM. Jim White [later Dirty Three] and Conway Savage [later Bad Seeds] then played in The Feral Dinosaurs.

20-Jan-84
AU Melbourne-Collingwood,The Club
[with The Curse, The Crushed Buzzards, The Zimmermen]

Setlist: Pleasure Avalanche/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Swampland/ Wings Off Flies/ Mutiny In Heaven/ A Box For Black Paul/ Jennifer's Veil/ Saint Huck/ (and most likely) Avalanche.

Listing: Scan of listing from The Age 20-Jan-84.

Note: Sixth Nick Cave concert. With Mr Pierre (a.k.a. Pierre Voltaire [The Models]) occasional piano tinklings during "Mutiny In Heaven".

Feb/Mar-84
UK London-Soho,Trident Studios (@ 17 St. Anne's Court). Continuation of the "From Her To Eternity" album recording sessions. Also recording "In The Ghetto/The Moon Is In The Gutter", released as a single. Engineered by Flood (Mark Ellis).

Photo: Google street view 2023.

Note 1: "Harvey and Adamson agree that the defining songs from those From Her To Eternity sessions were the title track, a monstrous, ever-escalating Dostoevskian love song co-written with Cave's then partner Anita Lane, and Saint Huck, in which Mark Twain's innocent vagabond is reanimated as a howling New Orleans street and hustler, his foul descent soundtracked by Bargeld's clanging death-knell guitar and Barry Aclamson's stalking Elmer Bernstein bass. "That's me trying to pull the song into a place I felt certain about," says Adamson. "Also provide a strange anchoring for the narrative, ever so slightly otherworldly and out place." Performing "Saint Huck was the centrepiece," says Harvey, "the potential of what this band could do. You're on the same wavelength, and you go, 'That's good.' If it was working, you didn't discuss anything." From Andrew Male's Bad Seeds feature in Mojo magazine, June 2020.

Note 2: The defining moment of the album is its title track, 'From Her To Eternity'. My respect for Blixa is now unequivocal [...]. His playing on this song simply astonishes, adding to an already operatic atmosphere which is laid out right from the beginning. The ominous low piano and drum pattern, with me picking up the slack playing eight beats to the bar, beautifully sets up Nick's haunted narrative. [...] Really, though, I'm like a bystander in the song, holding the note and rhythm down until I can take a kind of trademark walk between the vocal lines. It's an amazing collection of moments." Recollections by Barry Adamson from his memoir "Up Above the City, Down Beneath the Stars" (2021).

Note 3: "There is a great tension between the band members because the stakes are high -an epochal recording is sought and nothing else will do. [...] Now that [Blixa Bargeld] has arrived on the scene, the recording is marked with jagged intensity. [...] Mick and Barry play drums and bass; natural-born musicians, they move between different instruments, trying out different ideas, brutally discarding experiments that don't make the cut. " from Hugo Race's memoir "Road Series" (2021).

Note 4: At this location Trident operated between 1968 and 1985. Many classic rock albums were recorded here. David Bowie "Space Oddity" (1969), "The Man Who Sold The World" (1970), "Hunky Dory" (1971), "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust" (1972) and "Aladdin Sane" (1973); Lou Reed "Transformer" (1972) and many more. In 1984 Some Bizzare records had its offices/loft above the Trident studios.

28-Mar-84
UK London-Maida Vale,BBC Studios-Studio 5
recording John Peel Radio Session

Setlist: Saint Huck/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ From Her To Eternity.

Note: First broadcast by BBC Radio One on 09-Apr-84. Their first and only John Peel session. According to Mick Harvey a rotten recording due to the unco-operative attitude of the engineer (Nick Gomm) and producer (Roger Pusey).

xx-Apr-84
UK London-Kilburn,rehearsal room

Note: "The Bad Seeds meet up for their first live-show rehearsals in a padded cell of a room in Kilburn, the dead acoustics making it hard to summon up the intensity of the studio recordings. The band argue about arrangements and tempos, business agreements and schedules. Tension is high but the machinery is already in motion and there's no going back." from Hugo Race's memoir "Road Series" (2021).

10-Apr-84
UK London-Brixton,The Fridge
[support for The Moodists]

Setlist: Avalanche/ Cabin Fever/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Well Of Misery/ From Her To Eternity/ A Box For Black Paul/ Saint Huck.

Review 1: Original review from Sounds 21-Apr-81, collection FTA.

Review 2: Scan of review from Melody Maker 21-Apr-84.

Note 1: First Nick Cave concert in the UK. Warm-up show for the main London date at the Electric Ballroom. Start of an 18-date UK/Europe tour. Billed as Nick Cave and the Cavemen. Victor Van Vugt becomes the band's live sound engineer for many years. Victor (then 18 years old) had arrived in London from Melbourne to produce The Moodists' "Thirsty's Calling" album. Right upon arrival he was asked by the manager of The Fall to do their live sound at Reading University (09-Nov-83).(Source: fromthearchives.org)

Note 2: "The first show in London is under a pseudonym, The Cavemen; although it was only announced at the last minute, the Brixton Fridge is nearly sold out. Sparks of confrontation between demonic singer and rowdy audience ripple through the air." from Hugo Race's memoir "Road Series" (2021).

12-Apr-84
UK London-Camden,Electric Ballroom
[with The Moodists, The Mutant Preacher]

Setlist: Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Cabin Fever/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins](*)/ From Her To Eternity/ Well Of Misery(*)/ Mutiny In Heaven(*)/ A Box For Black Paul/ Saint Huck/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].(*)

Photo: Screen captures from streaming.

Review: Original review from NME 21-Apr-84, collection FTA.

Ad: Original advert from NME mag 07-Apr-84, collection FTA.

Video 1: Filmed by TVE2 (ES). 4 tracks (*) broadcast on the La Edad De Oro program, 20-Nov-84.YouTube

Video 2: RTVE streaming.

Note: Billed as Nick Cave and the Cavemen, yet Nick announces the band as the Bad Seeds. Shambolic affair in which Nick often forgets the lyrics. During "In The Ghetto" a coupe waltzes on stage.

18-Apr-84
UK Nottingham,Rock City
[with The Cavern and The Moodists]

Setlist: Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Cabin Fever/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ From Her To Eternity/ Well Of Misery/ Mutiny In Heaven/ A Box For Black Paul/ Saint Huck/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Ad: Scan from Evening Post 18-Apr-84.

Note: Billed as Nick Cave and the Cavemen.

19-Apr-84
UK Manchester,Hacienda
[with The Moodists]

Setlist: Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Cabin Fever/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ A Box For Black Paul/ From Her To Eternity/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Ad 1: Original ad from NME 24-Apr-84, collection FTA.

Ad 2: Scan of advert from Manchester Evening News 19-Apr-84.

Note: Billed as Nick Cave and the Cavemen.

21-Apr-84
NL Amsterdam,Meervaart
Vinyl-Night of the Action festival
[with The Smiths and Peter Belgvad]

Setlist: Avalanche [Leonard Cohen](*)/ Cabin Fever/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins](*)/ From Her To Eternity(*)/ Well Of Misery/ Mutiny In Heaven(*)/ A Box For Black Paul/ Saint Huck/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis](*).

Photo: Credit © Philippe Carly (from www.newwavephotos.com). Used with kind permission.

Review 1: Scan of review from De Volkskrant 10-May-84. "Nick Cave exceeds all expectations".

Review 2: Scan of review/article from De Volkskrant 25-Apr-84.

Note: First concert on the continent. Billed as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. One of the best early Bad Seeds concerts according to their live sound engineer Victor Van Vugt. Tracks(*) broadcast by Dutch KRO FM-radio on 06-Jun-84.

Apr-84
UK London-West Kensington, Alvic Studios
Recording "I Put A Spell On You" for "Department Of Enjoyment", an NME compilation cassette.

Note: Nick Cave, Mick Harvey and Hugo Race only.

xx-May-84
UK Leeds,-

xx-May-84
UK Sheffield,-

xx-May-84
UK Liverpool,-

xx-May-84
UK Coventry,-

Note: Gigs according to Hugo Race's memoir "Road Series" (2021).

11-May-84
UK Bristol,Trinity Hall
[with The Moodists]

Setlist: Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Cabin Fever/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ From Her To Eternity/ Well Of Misery/ Mutiny In Heaven/ A Box For Black Paul/ Saint Huck/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Poster: Photo of poster, courtesy of Andrew T.

Note 1: Billed as Nick Cave and the Cavemen. Edward Clayton-Jones [then ex- Plays With Marionettes and briefly Horla] replaces Blixa Bargeld who's recording the "Halber Mensch" album with Einstürzende Neubauten in Berlin throughout May. Edward joined the live band after just one rehearsal and plays bass, while Barry moves to guitar.

Note 2: Recorded on audio tape by Henry Rollins who was preparing to tour the UK with Black Flag at the time. Jim Thirlwell [Foetus] attends. Jessamy Calkin is tour manager.

12-May-84
UK Leicester,Polytechnic

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

13-May-84
UK Birmingham,Powerhouse - Splash '84 festival
[with The Moodists, Inca Babies, Alien Sex Fiend, Skeleton Family,...]

Setlist: Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ From Her To Eternity/ Well Of Misery/ Mutiny In Heaven/ A Box For Black Paul/ Saint Huck/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Photo 1: Credit Mick Mercer.

Photo 2: Photo 2 credit Mick Mercer.

Ad: Original advert from UK mag 28-Apr-84, collection FTA.

Flyer: Scan of flyer.

Note: At a gothic music festival.

14-May-84
UK London,The Marquee
(Black Flag concert)[with Husker Du]

Ad: Original ad from NME 12-May-84, collection FTA.

Note: Nick Cave attends this Black Flag concert.

17-May-84
NL Rotterdam,Lantaren
Performance Perfo 2 festival

Photo: Credit Ad de Wit.

Review: Scan of review from Trouw 19-May-84.

Note: Start of the first European tour. 9 dates, 5 in the Netherlands. Billed as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

18-May-84
NL Utrecht,Vrije Vloer

Setlist: A Box For Black Paul/ From Her To Eternity/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Cabin Fever/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Poster: Photo of poster.

Ticket: Scan of ticket.

Review 1: Scan of review from NRC Handelsblad 21-May-84.

Review 2: Scan of review from De Volkskrant 22-May-84.

19-May-84
NL Den Haag,Paard Van Troje

Setlist: A Box For Black Paul/ From Her To Eternity/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Cabin Fever/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Listing: Scan from Algemeen Dagblad 17-May-84.

Note: Billed as Nick Cave & Cavemen.

21-May-84
UK Release of the "From Her To Eternity" album (Mute records).

Review: Original review by Mat Snow from NME 19-May-84."As I said, this is one of the greatest rock albums ever made."

21-May-84
DE Berlin,The Loft (im Metropol)
[with Swans]

Setlist: A Box For Black Paul/ From Her To Eternity/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Cabin Fever/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Photo 1: Credit Anno Dittmer.

Photo 2: Photo credit Petra Gall (@ museum-digital Berlin).

Note: Edward Clayton-Jones still replaces Blixa Bargeld, but Blixa also joined (on vocals only) for this date.

22-May-84
SE -,-

Note: Possibly a date in Sweden too.

23-May-84
DK København,Ungdomshuset
[with ADS]

Setlist: A Box For Black Paul/ From Her To Eternity/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Cabin Fever/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

24-May-84
DE Hamburg,Markthalle

Setlist: A Box For Black Paul/ From Her To Eternity/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Cabin Fever/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Photo: Credit unknown.

Video: Private video 1 and video 2 by Ingo Gäbler.

Note: "The show in Hamburg is more hostile than anything we've experienced so far. Psychotic German fans goad the singer until he snaps and grabs a twist of coloured punk-rock hair, battering the taunter's surprised expression with a microphoned fist. Blood spatters on the stage monitors." from Hugo Race's memoir "Road Series" (2021).

25-May-84
NL Eindhoven,Effenaar

Setlist: A Box For Black Paul/ From Her To Eternity/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Cabin Fever/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Poster: Photo of poster.

Photo: Photos by Inge Bekkers.

Audio: Live audio.

Note: Billed as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Attended 560.

26-May-84
NL Groningen,Vera

Setlist: most likely: A Box For Black Paul/ From Her To Eternity/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Cabin Fever/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis]/ and ending with "Heartbreak Hotel" [Axton/Durden/Elvis].

Poster: Photo of poster.

Review : Scan of review from Nieuwsblad van het Noorden 28-May-84. Billed as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

28-May-84
UK Brighton,Pavillion
[with The Moodists, The Truth]

Setlist: A Box For Black Paul/ From Her To Eternity/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Cabin Fever/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Note: Blixa Bargeld is back from recording the "Halber Mensch" album with Einstürzende Neubauten in Berlin!

30-May-84
UK Kingston upon Thames,Surbiton Assemby Rooms
[with The Moodists]

Setlist: A Box For Black Paul/ From Her To Eternity/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Ad: Taken from Sounds mag 26-May-84.

03-Jun-84
UK Cardiff,New Ocean club
[with The Moodistst]

Listing: Scan of listing from South Wales Argus 10-May-84 and 24-May-84.

Note: Gig cancelled.

04-Jun-84
UK London,Lyceum
[with Carcrash International, Play Dead and The Scientists]

Setlist: A Box For Black Paul/ From Her To Eternity/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Cabin Fever/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Poster: Photo of poster.

Ad: Original advert from NME 26-May-84, collection FTA.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Note: First live gig by the Scientists' London line-up.

08-Jun-84
US NY,New York City-Manhattan,Danceteria (@ 30 West 21st street)

Setlist: A Box For Black Paul/ From Her To Eternity/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Cabin Fever/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Photo 1: Credit Greg Fasolino. Used with kind permission.

Photo 2: Photo credit Catherine Ceresole.

Review: Scan of review by Greg Fasolino from his zine Heaven Down Here. Used with kind permission.

Note 1: Start of the first tour (16 dates) of North America. The band stays at the Algonquin Hotel on Times Square. Jessamy Calkin is their tour manager. Upon arrival in NYC, Hugo Race and Jeffrey Lee Pierce [Gun Club] - who happened to be in New York- attend a show by Pharoah Sanders. Jeffrey also attends the Dancetaria show.

Note 2: Second location of the Dancetaria, opened in 1982. By now Ruth Polsky had been hired as booker. The band space's capacity was quite small, about 300 people.

09-Jun-84
US NJ,Trenton,City Gardens
[with Experimental Products]

Setlist: A Box For Black Paul/ From Her To Eternity/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Listing: Scan of listing from The Courier-News 09-Jun-84.

10-Jun-84
US DC,Washington,9:30 Club

1x-Jun-84
US MD,Baltimore,-

1x-Jun-84
US RI,Providence,-

Note: Shows according to Hugo Race's memoir "Road Series" (2021).

13-Jun-84
US MA,Boston,The Spit
[with Bamboo Gang]

Ad: Scan of ad from Boston Phoenix 12-Jun-84.

Review: Original review by Byron Coley, from Boston Rock 23-Jul-84, collection FTA.

14-Jun-84
US PA,Philadelphia,East Side Club

Flyer: Photo of flyer.

Review: Scan of review from Unknown Crime #2 zine.

1x-Jun-84
US PA,Pittsburg,-

Note: Show according to Hugo Race's memoir "Road Series" (2021).

16-Jun-84
US MI,Detroit,Clutch Cargo's @ St. Andrews Hall
[with The Meat Puppets]

Setlist: A Box For Black Paul/ From Her To Eternity/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Cabin Fever/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Listing: Scan of listing from Detroit Free Press 15-Jun-84.

17-Jun-84
US IL,Chicago,The Exit
[with Big Black]

Setlist: A Box For Black Paul/ From Her To Eternity/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Cabin Fever/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Flyer: Photo of flyer.

Photo: Photo credit Paul Natkin (Getty Images).

Video: Private video.

18-Jun-84
US CA,San Francisco,I Beam
[with The Meat Puppets]

Setlist: A Box For Black Paul/ From Her To Eternity/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Cabin Fever/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Ad: Scan of ad from The San Francisco Examiner 17-Jun-84.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Review: Original review from Puncture magazine #7, Summer 1984, collection FTA.

Note: Broadcast by KALX-FM in San Francisco.

18-Jun-84
UK Release of the "In The Ghetto/The Moon Is In The Gutter" 7" single (Mute records).

20-Jun-84
US CA,San Francisco-South of Market,Rough Trade Records (@ 326 6th Street)
Instore meet & greet (7PM)

Flyer: Photo of flyer.

2x-Jun-84
US CA,Los Angeles-Costa Meza,Musicland Record store (@ South Coast Plaza).
Instore meet & greet (3PM)

Note: "Seeing Nick and Blixa looking all ragged at 3 in the afternoon behind sunglasses and behind a 6 ft pop up table signing records, barely awake,.." Recollections by a fan.

21-Jun-84
US CA,Los Angeles-Santa Monica,Texas Records
Instore meet & greet (7PM)

Flyer: Photo of flyer.

Ad: Scan of advert from LA Weekly 21-Jun-84.

22-Jun-84
US CA,Pasadena,Perkins Palace
[support for The Cramps and with Sacharine Trust and Die Schlaflosen]

Setlist: A Box For Black Paul/ From Her To Eternity/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Flyer 1: Photo of flyer.

Flyer 2: Photo of flyer.

Flyer 3: Photo of flyer.

Ad: Scan of advert from LA Weekly 21-Jun-84.

Photo: Before and after the show. Photo credit Chris Amouroux (for her 'Beyond the Blackout' photo zine).

Note: Shambolic performance. Nick Cave is totally out of it.

23-Jun-84
US CA,Los Angeles-Long Beach,Zed records
Instore meet & greet (6-8PM)

Flyer: Photo of flyer.

Note 1: Henry Rollins drives Nick Cave,Mick Harvey and Blixa Bargeld to the store for a record signing session. " I go to the Tropicana Hotel to find Nick Cave … So I show up at the room and it looks like a tornado has been through there — clothes, a few girls are passed out on the bed. And then there’s Nick and Blixa. They look like they haven’t slept yet. Blixa must live in those leather clothes because they sure smell ripe… So now we’re at Zed Records [and] people are making assholes of themselves trying to get to [Nick and Blixa]." from "Get In The Van" (1994), a book by Henry Rollins.

Note 2: In the evening The Bad Seeds go to the Gun Club's show 2 the Music Machine in Santa Monica.

23/24-Jun-84
US CA,West Hollywood,garage of house on Melrose Avenue
Evan English & Paul Goldman shoot the "In The Ghetto" promo music video with Nick Cave.

Photo: Credit David Arnoff. Used with kind permission.

Video: Official video.

Review: Scan of review from The Los Angeles Times 11-Nov-84.

Note: "Nick Cave arranged to meet whilst shooting the video for 'In the Ghetto' to look over some shots from a previous shoot. Once we’d finished and he went back to start filming, the director roped me in to help with the lighting, such as it was. Basically it was just switching them on and off at specific moments in the song, which I could do with one hand. With the other I managed to take a few stills at the same time." David Arnoff interviewed for the Guardian 25-Feb-16.

25-Jun-84
US KS,Kansas City,The Loft (@ 616 Central street)
[with The Sodbusters and EMF]

Flyer: Photo of flyer.

Review: Scan of review from a KC zine.

Note: "Way downtown, on the south bank of the river, there was a neighborhood called the River Quay [...] Heroin had just completely demolished the area. Down by the river, there were these giant concrete slabs that stuck out into the water. The most down-trodden of the bums and hobos crashed down there[ ...] There was a sign factory [All Nations Flag Company] down there, and above it was this huge triple loft apartment. [...] We all called it “The Ranch.” It was where all the really cool after-hours parties and gigs happened. Nick Cave played there, once, from about one in the morning until, like three-thirty." Recollections by James “Tony” Staples [vocalist for Names Don’t Matter, 1981-1984].

27-Jun-84
US OH,Columbus,Schoolkids Record store
Instore meet & greet (5-6 PM)

27-Jun-84
US OH,Columbus,Stache's

Setlist: A Box For Black Paul/ From Her To Eternity/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis]/ and more

Flyer: Photo of flyer.

Ticket: Scan of ticket.

Video: Video.

Note: Released on an independently produced video by Rick Klaus Theis.

29-Jun-84
US NY,New York City-Manhattan,Danceteria (@30 West 21 street)

Photo: Credit unknown.

Review: Review from Dangerous Rhythms #5, Spring 1985.

30-Jun-84
US GA,Atlanta,688 Club
[with The Restraints]

Setlist: Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Well Of Misery/ From Her To Eternity/ Cabin Fever/ A Box For Black Paul/ Saint Huck/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins].

Photo: Photo credit unknown.

Listing: Scan of listing from The Atlanta Constitution 30-Jun-84.

Note: Final date of the first North American tour.

07-Jul-84
UK London,Wembley Stadium
[support for Bob Dylan, with UB 40]

Ad: Original ad from NME 25-May-84, collection FTA.

Note: The press must have mixed up. It was Nick Lowe (and his Cowboy Outfit) who co-supported Dylan, not Nick Cave.

July through September 1984. Nick Cave and Hugo Race stay in West Hollywood (US), where Nick works on "Blind Lemon Jefferson" and together with Hugo, Evan English, John Hillcoat and Paul Goldman, Nick Cave works on the "Swampland" film script. When it turned out impracticable Nick used it as a starting point for his (later to be written) novel "And The Ass Saw The Angel". For a period of time Nick stays with Henry Rollins. On 13-Jul-84 both crash a film party at the Australian Consulate in Hollywood where they behave like loons (read more in Henry Rollins' "Get In The Van" book). On 26-Jul-84 he is interviewed in a bar in Tijuana (Mexico) by Kristina McKenna for A.R.M. magazine. On 31-Aug-84 reads "Blind Lemon Jefferson" at the Lhasa Club, his second ever reading (first was at the Pyramid Club, NYC on 09-Jul-84). During his stay Nick also hangs out with Jeffrey Lee Pierce and Kid Congo Powers [The Gun Club]. Hugo Race leaves the Bad Seeds and returns to Melbourne where he forms The Wreckery with Edward Clayton-Jones. Blixa Bargeld is on a short European tour with Neubauten (late September/early October). On September 1, Nick Cave boards a bus headed fro New York, planning to continue to Berlin to record a blues album.

Sep/Oct-84
DE Berlin, Nick Cave stays at Elisabeth Recker's place (@ Naumanntrasse) and at Christophe Dreher's [Die Haut] place (@ Dresdenerstrasse 11), where he writes many songs for "The Firstborn Is Dead" album on an old pumpt foot organ. He also writes (the never recorded) song "When The Sun Goes Down (And My Work Is Done)" on 30-Oct-84.

31-Oct-84
IT Torino,Discoteca Big Club

Setlist: Knockin' On Joe/ Blind Lemon Jefferson/ From Her To Eternity/ Train Long Suffering/ Well Of Misery/ Black Crow King/ Saint Huck/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan].

Photo: Screen capture from private video.

Note: First date of a short 10 dates tour, 3 shows on Italy. On this tour previewing 4-5 songs from the to-be-recorded "The Firstborn Is Dead" album. Nick Cave plays guitar on some songs and Barry switches to guitar for "Black Crow King". Embryonic version of "Knockin' On Joe". "Saint Huck" is played with a backing track. The band plays for a fee of GBP 800 (GBP 2,600 in today's money).

04-Nov-84
IT Firenze,Manila Club

Setlist: Knockin' On Joe/ Blind Lemon Jefferson/ From Her To Eternity/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Train Long Suffering/ Well Of Misery/ Black Crow King/ Saint Huck/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan].

Contract: Scan of contract between All Trade Booking and Paolo Bedini for the 3 Italian dates, shared by Paolo Bedini on his Facebook.

Note: The band plays for a fee of GBP 300 (GBP 1,000 in today's money).

05-Nov-84
IT Napoli,Teatro Augonia

Setlist: Blind Lemon Jefferson/ From Her To Eternity/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Knockin' On Joe/ Black Crow King/ Train Long Suffering/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan].

Note: The band plays for a fee of GBP 600 (GBP 2,000 in today's money).

07-Nov-84
UK London-Camden,Electric Ballroom
[with Death In June, NON, Psycho Circus]

Setlist: Blind Lemon Jefferson/ From Her To Eternity/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Knockin' On Joe/ Black Crow King/ Train Long Suffering/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan].

Ad: Original ad from NME 03-Nov-84, collection FTA.

Review 1: Original review by Antonella Black, for NME 24-Nov-84. Antonella's review is disdainful of both performers and the audience.

Review 2: Original review by Jack Barron, for Sounds 24-Nov-84. "This could be the best gig I've seen all year." .

Lyric sheet: Photo of "Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree", courtesy of Andrew James Walker.

Note: The night after the concert 19-year-old [Italian-Australian] journalist Antonella Gambotto-Burke [aka Antonella Black] interviewed Nick Cave in the early hours of the morning on a houseboat moored at the Chelsea Embankment in London. Just before the interview, Cave disappeared into the bathroom only to emerge with blood dripping down his arm. Antonella recorded every detail of his incapacitation. The resulting story ["A Man Called Horse"], was published in Zig Zag, January 1985]. Cave was enraged on reading the article. In 1986, he wrote "Scum" about her and two others journalists he once lived with [Barney Hoskyns and Mat Snow, both NME].

09-Nov-84
NL Amsterdam,Meervaart
One World Poetry festival

Setlist: Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Train Long Suffering/ From Her To Eternity/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Knockin' On Joe(*)/ Black Crow King(*)/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan]/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins].

Ad: Scan of ad from De Volkskrant 09-Nov-84.

Review 1: Scan of review from De Waarheid 14-Nov-84.

Review 2: Scan of review from De Volkskrant 12-Nov-84.

Photo 1: Photo credit Frans Schellekens (Getty Images).

Photo 2: Photo credit unknown.

Note: Tracks(*) broadcast by Dutch VPRO FM radio. One World Poetry festival ran from 02-11 November, 1984. Earlier that night Nick Cave read from "Blind Lemon Jefferson".

11-Nov-84
DE Berlin,Loft (im Metropol)
[with The Inca Babies]

Setlist: Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Train Long Suffering/ From Her To Eternity/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Knockin' On Joe/ Black Crow King/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan]/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins].

Poster: Photo of poster.

Note: Concert moved from the 9th.

20-Nov-84
GR Athina,Hima Club
[with Villa 21]

Setlist: Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Train Long Suffering/ From Her To Eternity/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Black Crow King/ Tupelo/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan]/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins].

Photo: Credit Thodoros Papadopoulos (aka T.Berlin), owner of the Berlin Bar in Thessaloniki.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Note 1: Start of a short 4-dates tour in Greece and Spain. Live sound engineered by Flood (Mark Ellis). Performing on a very cramped stage, swamped by audience members. Shambolic performance, hampered by numerous equipment problems.

Note 2: "I can't even see that I'm not helping matters by scoring backstage off junkies [...] Then there's Mick Harvey giving me the shits with his fucking looks, eyeballing me from behind the kit until I smash my beautiful red Gibson 335 copy (the one I bought for fifteen quid in Moss Side from a junk shop) into smithereens on stage in Athens [...] Or being so pissed off when Blixa starts the song 'Blind Lemon Jefferson' in the wrong key, so that when Nick comes in, in quite another key, he's totally off. This is the opening song and nobody seems to notice, except me. [...] I think we look like a bunch of idiots. " Recollections by Barry Adamson from his memoir "Up Above the City, Down Beneath the Stars" (2021).(Source: fromthearchives.org)

Note 3: "The place was packed, the mouth full of smoke, the eyes stinging, the heat suffocating and the Bad Seeds playing hand in hand with the crowd. On the front line there was a fierce battle... falling on the speakers... on the cables... on the microphones... on Cave! The electricity went out, Cave continued to sing and jump alone [...]. There was tension, passion and energy from and to the audience. [...] The big stir happened on the first day. In the second one we 'sat down' and listened to him." (translated) from Sound & HiFi (GR), December 1984.

21-Nov-84
GR Athina,Hima Club
[with Yell-o-Yell]

Photo 1: Credit Giannis Kastanaras (wrongly stating he was at the first show).

Photo 2: Photo credit unknown.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Note:

23-Nov-84
ES Barcelona,666 Club

Setlist: Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Train Long Suffering/ From Her To Eternity/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Tupelo/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan].

Poster: Photo of poster, collection Beate Bartel, reproduced in "The Life and Music of Nick Cave", a book by Max Dax and Johannes Beck (Gestallten verlag, 1999).

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Video: TV broadcast on TVE.

24-Nov-84
ES Madrid,Rock-Ola

Setlist: Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Train Long Suffering/ From Her To Eternity/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Tupelo/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Well Of Misery/ Saint Huck/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan].

Note: Final date of the short tour.

25-Nov-84 through 22-Dec-84
DE Berlin,Hansa Ton Studios (@ Köthener Strasse 38). "The Firstborn Is Dead" album recording sessions. Engineered by Flood (Mark Ellis), with George. Recording: Tupelo/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Train Long-Suffering/ Black Crow King// Knockin' On Joe/ Wanted Man/ Blind Lemon Jefferson.

Photo: Credit Jutta Henglein.

Note: "We got to know the core of each other's personalities, that made it really touchy ... in Berlin, in the snow, around Christmas, it was very emotional. We'd played dates in Athens and then we'd come back to this oppressive atmosphere, staying awake for days on end. The pressure was on. I myself could see I was heading for a nervous breakdown and I wasn't going to let this be seen by anybody. I tried to stay in there and the only way I could get it out was through what I played. I felt I couldn't talk to anybody about it. The use of conflict as creation, the use of negativity as power, all that seemed to me, from my angle, amplified by The Firstborn Is Dead. You can smell the tension on that record. [...] Being in The Bad Seeds I was sometimes very threatened because I'd never addressed being black. [...] Suddenly The Bad Seeds wanted to play the blues [...] "Knockin' On Joe" and "Blind Lemon Jefferson", I felt threatened by those songs. [...] I felt isolated." Barry Adamson in "Bad Seed", a biography by Ian Johnston (1995).

December 1984/January 1985. Mick Harvey reforms Crime and the City Solution MkIII (with Simon Bonney) in Melbourne. Nick Cave works in Melbourne until February 1985 on the "Ghosts...of the Civil Dead" Hillcoat/English film script. The release of "The Firstborn Is Dead" album is delayed due to the fact that Bob Dylan needed to give his approval for the cover version of "Wanted Man", with altered lyrics. The album is therefore only released after the scheduled April UK tour.

2x-Mar-85
UK London-Soho,Trident Studios (@ 17 St. Anne's Court). Recording "Six Strings That Drew Blood" (initialy recorded with The Birthday Party @ the Hansa Ton studios,Berlin in April 1983) for the "Tupelo" single. Engineered by Flood (Mark Ellis).

Apr-85
UK Manchester. Barry Adamson is in hospital. Barry had been going through some very tough times. Increasingly addicted to heroin (since 1980), his younger sister's much too early passing in January 1985, his mental issues and now a stay in hospital.

Apr-85
UK London,rehearsals

Note: "Not only was there no record to promote, but a week before the tour commenced there was no band. 'There was just me and Nick', Harvey continues. 'Barry didn't make it for the first rehearsal. So we started calling [Barry in] Manchester and tried to figure out if he'd left the band, which he hadn't, he'd just decided he couldn't face it and wasn't coming. Blixa was unavailable because of his commitments [recording the "Halber Mensch" album with Einsturzende Neubauten]. Funny to look back on, but a total disaster at the time. Bassist Christoph Dreher and drummer Thomas Wydler were hastily recruited from Die Haut while Harvey would play rhythm guitar and keyboard. 'I had to try and explain to Thomas what to do in German! His English was terrible and it was very hard communicating what had to be done. My German was shaky in those days but fortunately we locked into these things. I've never given musical directions in German before ... It was all a complete farce. We never felt confident. Christoph is a great bass player but he just wasn't right for our material' With the lead guitarist slot still vacant, Cave and Harvey contacted their old friend Robert Forster from The Go-Betweens, who was eager to play and turned up for rehearsals, but on the fourth day was told by his booking agency that he could not back out of a short tour of Scandinavia [and Switzerland]. Cave and Harvey's other choice was Rowland S. Howard, who had been recording in London three months previously with Harvey's own group project Crime and the City Solution. 'I was only asked twenty-four hours before the tour started so I only had an eight hour rehearsal with Nick and Mick in my bedroom while they showed me the songs' [says Rowland]. 'I'd only heard the LP once, it was still close enough to the break-up of The Birthday Party for me to be relatively ambivalent. It was a very odd tour. Nick always maintains it wasn't a proper Bad Seeds tour. Thomas was there but that was the first tour they'd done anything with him. There were a lot of songs we just couldn't do, there wasn't time. Some of it was good but tours of England are never the most enjoyable. If Nick could have pulled out he would have, he felt uncomfortable." From "Bad Seed", a biography by Ian Johnston (1995).

16-Apr-85
UK Edinburgh,Coasters

Setlist: Tupelo/ Black Crow King/ Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Train Long Suffering/ Well Of Misery/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Knockin'On Joe/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Saint Huck/ Wild World.

Review: Original review from NME 27-Apr-85, collection FTA.

Ticket: Scan of ticket.

Photo: Photo credit Innes Reekie.

Note: Start of the Bad Seeds' 9 date UK tour, which takes place without 2 of its key members, Blixa and Barry. New drummer Thomas Wydler has remained a Bad Seeds member ever since.

17-Apr-85
UK Newcastle,Tiffanys

Setlist: Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Train Long Suffering/ Well Of Misery/ Tupelo/ Black Crow King/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Knockin' On Joe/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Saint Huck/ Wild World.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Contract: Photo of contract.

Setlist: Photo of setlist.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

18-Apr-85
UK Leeds,The Warehouse Club

Setlist: Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Train Long Suffering/ Well Of Misery/ Tupelo/ Black Crow King/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Knockin' On Joe/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Saint Huck/ Wild World.

Photo: Credit Chris Haskett [Rollins Band]. Courtesy of Henry Rollins.

Ad: Original advert from NME 12-Apr-85, collection FTA.

21-Apr-85
UK Brighton,Escape Club

Setlist: Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Train Long Suffering/ Well Of Misery/ Tupelo/ Black Crow King/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Knockin' On Joe/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Saint Huck/ Wild World.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Photo: Photo credit Matt Bisson.

Review: Original review from Sounds 11-May-85, collection FTA.

23-Apr-85
UK Birmingham,Powerhouse
[with Sonic Youth]

Setlist: Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Train Long Suffering/ Well Of Misery/ Tupelo/ Black Crow King/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Knockin' On Joe/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Saint Huck/ Wild World.

Listing: Original listing from NME 20-Apr-85, collection FTA.

Note 1: Mick Harvey had attented Sonic Youth's first European concert of the "Bad Moon Risin'" tour (@ the ICA, London on 20-Mar-85) and offered the band a 5-date support slot on the Bad Seeds UK tour.

Note 2: "Seem to recall there was only a handfull of people at the gig,and there was a rather annoying German Cave fan who kept trying to get up on stage." recollections by David Thomas @ Sonic Youth.com

24-Apr-85
UK Nottingham,Rock City
[with Sonic Youth]

Setlist: Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Tupelo/ Jennifer's Veil/ Well Of Misery/ Train Long Suffering/ Knockin' On Joe/ Saint Huck/ Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Black Crow King/ Wild World.

Setlist 2: Photo setlist of courtesy of Andrew James Walker.

Ad: Original ad from NME 20-Apr-85, collection FTA.

25-Apr-85
UK Manchester,Hacienda
[with Sonic Youth]

Setlist: Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Sad Dark Eyes/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Tupelo/ Well Of Misery/ Train Long Suffering/ Knockin' On Joe/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Jennifer's Veil/ Wild World.

Ad: Original ad from NME 20-Apr-85, collection FTA.

26-Apr-85
UK Aylesbury,Maxwell Hall
[with Sonic Youth]

Setlist: Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Sad Dark Eyes/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Tupelo/ Well Of Misery/ Train Long Suffering/ Knockin' On Joe/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Jennifer's Veil/ Wild World.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

28-Apr-85
UK London,Hammersmith Palais
[with Sonic Youth and The Lost Loved Ones]

Setlist: Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Sad Dark Eyes/ Tupelo/ Well Of Misery/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Knockin' On Joe/ Train Long Suffering/ Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Black Crow King/ Wild World/ Jennifer's Veil.

Ad: Original ad from Sounds mag 20-Apr-85, collection FTA.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Review: Original review from Puncture mag (US) fall '85, collection FTA.

Note: Final date of the 9 date tour.

10-Jun-85
UK Release of "The Firstborn Is Dead" album (Mute records).

Review: Original review by Sean O'Hagan from NME 08-Jun-85."...wilfully messy and unfocused, has its heart buried under an unpalatable noise.."

12-Jun-85
NO Oslo-Aker Brygge,Vikateatret

Setlist: Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Tupelo/ Well Of Misery/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Knockin' On Joe/ Train Long Suffering/ Black Crow King/ Saint Huck/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan].

Photo: Credit © Morten Andersen. Used with kind permission.

Review 1: Scan of review from Beat 1985 Nr1, July 1985. (Source National Library Norway).

Review 2: Scan of interview and review from Puls Nr.6, 1985. (Source as above). The most impressive was Cave himself. His voice was new and more assured and stronger on stage than on record.

Article: Scan of article from Beat 1985 Nr1, July 1985. (Source as above).

Note: Blixa and Barry are back and Thomas stayed on board.

13-Jun-85
SE Stockholm,Kolingsborg Club

Setlist: Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Tupelo/ Well Of Misery/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Knockin' On Joe/ Train Long Suffering/ Black Crow King/ Saint Huck/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan]/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree.

Photo: Credit Ulf Berglund.

14-Jun-85
DK København,Ungdomshuset

Setlist: Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Tupelo/ Well Of Misery/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Knockin' On Joe/ Train Long Suffering/ Black Crow King/ Saint Huck/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan]/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins].

Poster: Photo of poster.

18-Jun-85
NL Amsterdam,Paradiso-Grote Zaal
[with The Ex]

Setlist: Blind Lemon Jefferson(**)/ Tupelo(*)/ Well Of Misery(*)/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan](*)(**)/ Knockin' On Joe/ Train Long Suffering(*)/ Black Crow King(*)/ Saint Huck(**)/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan](*).

Poster: Photo of poster.

Photo 1: Photo credit George Bekker @ seizoensgebonden.blogspot.nl. Used with kind permission.

Photo 2: Photo credit Benno & Elisabeth.

Review: Scan of review from NRC Handelsblad 19-Jun-85.

Note: Most songs were broadcast by Dutch radio. Tracks (*) by VPRO FM "Frontline" on 27-Aug-85 and (**) by VPRO FM "Backline" 01-Oct-86.

19-Jun-85
NL Amsterdam,VPRO Radio studios,
recording session for Wilde Wereld

Setlist: Black Crow King

Note: Nick Cave, Mick Harvey and Blixa Bargeld only.

19-Jun-85
NL Eindhoven,Effenaar

Setlist: Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Tupelo/ Well Of Misery/ Train Long Suffering/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Knockin' On Joe/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Black Crow King/ Saint Huck/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan]/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Jun/Oct-85
DE Berlin-Schöneberg, Nick Cave stays at Thomas Wydler's place (in Yorckstrasse), where he continues working on his novel "And The Ass Saw The Angel". Christoph Dreher shoots the "Tupelo" promo music video.

Photo: Photo credit Bleddyn Butcher, taken on 03/04-Aug-85.

Note: Wydler's place was just a few metres from the Risiko bar (@ Yorckstrasse 48). Nick's room, a former maid's chamber, had to be crawled up into via a ladder. The room's ceiling was too low to stand upright in.

12-Jul-85
DE Berlin,Metropol

Photo: Photos by B.A. from "Underground Overground" photobook (W.W. Verlag, Berlin 1985).

25-Jul-85
UK London-Camden,Electric Ballroom
[with The Moodists and The Folk Devils]

Setlist: Train Long Suffering/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Tupelo/ Well Of Misery/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Knockin' On Joe/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Black Crow King/ Saint Huck/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan].

Ad: Original ad from Sounds mag 20-Jul-85, collection FTA.

Review: Original review by Daviod Swift from NME 10-Aug-85. "The Firstborn was a yawn".

Note: One-off UK date.

xx-Jul-85
US Release of "The Firstborn Is Dead" album (Homestead records).

Review 1: Scan of review by David Allen from The Daily Illini 23-Jul-85."Nick Cave turns out to be an incredible lyricist, and the style of his singing and the Bad Seeds' instrumentation makes him almost a modern bluesman."

Review 2: Scan of review by Kristine McKenna from Los Angeles Times 01-Sep-85."The lyrics of this song -and the album as a whole- are brilliantly rich and concise, and Cave's vocal performance is magnificent."

29-Jul-85
UK Release of "Tupelo/The Six Strings That Drew Blood" 7" (Mute records).

28-Sep-85
CH Genève-Vernier,Salle des fêtes du Lignon
Festival Vervier sur Rock 85
[with The Young Gods and Copulation]

Listing: Scan of listing from La tribune de Genève 28-Sep-85.

Review: Scan of review from Courrier de Genève 02-Oct-85.

30-Sep-85
CH Zürich,Volkshaus

Poster: Photo of poster, courtesy of Guillaume P.

10-Oct-85
FR Paris,Bataclan
[with Jad Wio]

Setlist: Tupelo/ Well Of Misery/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Knockin' On Joe/ Train Long Suffering/ Saint Huck/ Mutiny In Heaven/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins].

Photo: Credit Jean-Paul Guiret, Libération newspaper, 01-Oct-87.

Ticket: Scan of ticket.

12-Oct-85
NL Rotterdam,De Doelen
Pandora's Music Box Festival -Big Hall
[with Nico, Echo and the Bunnymen, Sonic Youth, Fur Bible, etc..]

Setlist: Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Tupelo/ Well Of Misery/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Knockin' On Joe/ Train Long Suffering/ Saint Huck/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins]/ Mutiny In Heaven.

Photo: Credit Rob Verhorst (Redferns via Getty Images).

Poster: Photo of poster.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Festival schedule: Scan of schedule from the official festival booklet. Big Hall: Nico, Anne Clark, Echo and the Bunnymen, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds; Dance Hall: L'Attentat, Fatal Flowers, The Long Riders, The Cult, The Butthole Surfers, Sonic Youth; Small Hall: Hula, Fur Bible, Alex Chilton, Chris Isaak, The Rain Parade; Mini Box: Mona Mur, The Very Things.

Note: Released on the bootleg LP "Pandora's Misery". From "Well Of Misery" through "I Put A Spell On You" released on the "Live Amsterdam 1984-He Put A Spell On Us" bootleg CD, on the "In Funeral Night" bootleg CD, on "Viva Las Vegas"/"Live" bootleg CD (1994), and "Through The Black Holes Of Time" CD (1993). Several songs broadcast by Dutch FM radio.

19-Oct-85
US NY,New York City,Dancetaria (@ 30 West 21st street)
[with U-Men]

Setlist: Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Tupelo/ Well Of Misery/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Knockin' On Joe/ Train Long Suffering/ Saint Huck.

Listing: Scan of listing from Daily News 13-Oct-85.

Note: Start of the 2nd tour of North America. 6 dates only.

20-Oct-85
US DC,Washington,9:30 Club
[with No Trend]

Listing: Scan of listing from The Sentinel 18-Oct-85.

22-Oct-85
US OH,Columbus,Newport Music Hall
[with The Gibson Brothers]

Setlist: Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Tupelo/ Well Of Misery/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Knockin' On Joe/ Train Long Suffering/ Saint Huck/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins].

Poster: Both posters sourced from Columbus Metropolitan Library.

Note: Presented by No Other and The Offense Newsletter.

23-Oct-85
CA ON,Toronto,Larry's Hideaway
[with Deja Voodoo]

Setlist: Saint Huck/ Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Tupelo/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Knockin' On Joe/ Train Long Suffering/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins].

Ad: Scan of ad from The Toronto Star 18-Oct-85.

Note: Playing "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" [Bob Dylan] at the soundcheck.

24-Oct-85
US IL,Chicago,Cabaret Metro
[with Salem 66]

Setlist: Saint Huck/ Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Tupelo/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Knockin' On Joe/ Train Long Suffering/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan].

Poster: Photo of poster.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

25-Oct-85
US CA,Los Angeles-Hollywood,The Palace
[with Maurice and the Cliches]

Setlist: Saint Huck/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Tupelo/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Knockin' On Joe/ Train Long Suffering/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan]/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins].

Ad: Scan of ad from LA Weekly 18-Oct-85.

Note: Final date of the North American tour.

30-Oct-85
JP Kyoto,Silk Hall

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Ad: Photo of advert.

Note: First tour of Japan. 4 dates.

31-Oct-85
JP Tokyo,Live Inn

01-Nov-85
JP Tokyo,Kohrahuen Hall

Setlist: Saint Huck/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Black Crow King/ Train Long Suffering/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan]/ Tupelo/ Knockin' On Joe/ I Put A Spell On You [Screaming Jay Hawkins].

Ad: Photo of advert.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Note: Band's name on advert is misspelled as Bad 'Sheeds'.

02-Nov-85
JP Hokkaido-Sapporo,Campus 21

Note: Last date of Japanese tour.

Nov/Dec-85
AU South-Melbourne,Armstrong Audio Video (AVV) Studios (@ 180 Bank Street). Start of the recording sessions for the "Kicking Against The Pricks" covers album and "The Singer" 12" single. Initially intended as a double album, the band recorded 23 songs.

Songs recorded: "Muddy Water" [Phil Rosenthal/Johnny Cash], "I'm Gonna Kill That Woman" [John Lee Hooker], "Sleeping Annaleah" [Mickey Newbury/Tom Jones], "Long Black Veil" [Dill/Wilkin/Johnny Cash], "All Tomorrow's Parties" [Lou Reed], "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" [Jim Webb], "The Hammer Song" [Alex Harvey], "Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart" [Greenaway/Cooke/Gene Pitney], "Jesus Met The Woman At The Well" [Trad./The Alabama Singers], "The Carnival Is Over" [Springfield/The Seekers], "The Singer" [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels], "Black Betty" [Leadbelly] and "Running Scared" [Roy Orbison].

Songs recorded, but never released: "No, Your Product" [The Saints],"Everlovin' Man" and "Sad Dark Eyes" [The Loved Ones], a song by [The Laughing Clowns], "John Henry" [Leadbelly] and "Did You Hear About Jerry?" [Harry Belafonte]. Rowland S.Howard, Hugo Race join the sessions. Engineered by Tony Cohen.

Photo: Google street view 2018.

Note: Studio founded by Bill Armstrong in 1965, which moved to a former butter factory in 1972. Tony Cohen had worked with Cave and Harvey before, engineering the Boys Next Door's "Door, Door" album (1979) and their "Hee Haw" EP (1979), as well as the Birthday Party's "Prayers on Fire" (1981) and "Junkyard" (1982) albums, and mixing the "It's Still Living" live album (1982).

08-Nov-85
AU Sydney-Coogee,Coogee Bay Hotel-Selinas
[with Screamin' Jay Hawkins and Died Pretty]

Setlist: Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Train Long Suffering/ Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Knockin' On Joe/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Black Crow King/ Tupelo/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan]/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan].

Handbill: Original handbill, collection FTA.(Source: fromthearchives.org)

Review: Original review by Mark Mordue from R.A.M. 04-Dec-85, collection FTA.

Note: Front-of-house engineer Matt Crosbie recalls Screamin' Jay driving past Nick Cave and yelling "Your music is shit, man".

09-Nov-85
AU Sydney-Coogee,Coogee Bay Hotel-Selinas
[with Screamin' Jay Hawkins and Died Pretty]

Setlist: Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Train Long Suffering/ Black Crow King/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Tupelo/ Knockin' On Joe/ Saint Huck/ Mutiny In Heaven/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Ad: Scan of ad from The Sydney Morning Herald 08-Nov-85.

12-Nov-85
AU Canberra,Australian National University

Note: Concert was cancelled.

15-Nov-85
AU Brisbane,Queensland Institute Of Technology,East Leagues Club

Setlist: Saint Huck/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Knockin' On Joe/ Train Long Suffering/ Tupelo/ Did You Hear About Jerry? [Harry Belafonte]

19-Nov-85
AU Sydney,Tivoli
[with Chad's Tree]

Ad: Scan of ad from The Sydney Morning Herald 15-Nov-85.

Article: Scan of article by Stuart Coupe from The Sydney Morning Herald 17-Nov-85.

22-Nov-85
AU Melbourne,The Venue-Ballroom
[with Screamin' Jay Hawkins and Once Upon A Time]

Setlist: Black Betty [Leadbelly]-Tupelo/ Did You Hear About Jerry? [Harry Belafonte]/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]-Cindy,Cindy [Traditional]/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Train Long Suffering/ Knockin' On Joe/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Saint Huck/ Blind Lemon Jefferson/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Muddy Water [Phil Rosenthal/Johnny Cash].

Ticket: Original ticket, collection FTA.

23-Nov-85
AU Melbourne,The Venue-Ballroom
[with Screamin' Jay Hawkins and Once Upon A Time]

Setlist: Saint Huck/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo/ Black Crow King/ Train Long Suffering/ Knockin' On Joe/ Did You Hear About Jerry? [Harry Belafonte]/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed].

Ticket: Original ticket, collection FTA.

Review: Scan of review from The Age 27-Nov-85.

26-Nov-85
AU Adelaide,Le Rox
[with Screamin' Jay Hawkins]

Setlist: Black Betty [Leadbelly]-Tupelo/ Did You Hear About Jerry? [Harry Belafonte]/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Cindy,Cindy [Traditional]/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Train Long Suffering/ Knockin' On Joe/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Saint Huck/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis]/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ Rye Whiskey [Traditional].

Setlist: Xerox of setlist.

27-Nov-85
AU Perth,Premier One Ice Rink (@ 295 Stirling St.)

Setlist: Black Betty [Leadbelly]-Tupelo/ Did You Hear About Jerry? [Harry Belafonte]/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree/ Sad Dark Eyes [The Loved Ones]/ Train Long Suffering/ Knockin' On Joe/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Saint Huck/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis].

Photo: Credit unknown.

Review: Scan of reviews from Party Fears #1, December 1985.

29-Nov-85
AU Melbourne-Collingwood,The Club
[with Cattletruck]

Setlist: All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ Did You Hear About Jerry? [Harry Belafonte]/ Saint Huck/ Knockin' On Joe/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Train Long Suffering/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Mutiny In Heaven/ Avalanche [Leonard Cohen]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis] / Muddy Water [Phil Rosenthal/Johnny Cash]/ Rye Whiskey [Traditional].

Listing: Scan of listing from The Age 29-Nov-85.

Dec-85/Jan-86
[AU Mick Harvey tours Australia with Crime & the City Solution].

Jan-86
AU Melbourne-East Richmond,Richmond Recorders (@ 17 Pearson St). Mainly Nick Cave and Mick Harvey continue the recording sessions for "Kicking Against The Pricks" album and "The Singer" single. "Hey Joe" [Billy Roberts] recorded with Tracy Pew [Birthday Party] on bass and Mick Harvey on one drum. (Piano and organ were added later @ Hansa Ton Studios in March).

Also recording "500 Miles" [Hedy West/Peter, Paul and Mary], "Bull Rider" [Johnny Cash] (both never released) and "Rye Whiskey" [Traditional] (released as a flexi with US Reflex magazine). Engineered by Tony Cohen.

Note 1: Barry and Thomas flew in, yet could only join for 3 days, they had commitments in London and Berlin respectively. Blixa joined later for two days only, he had commitments with Neubauten.

Note 2: Studio was founded by Tim Stobart and Chris Napper in 1978. It operated until 1986. "[By 1985] the studio became a hook-up place for drugs. There'd be musicians sitting in the lounge room [...] just waiting for the man". from "Half Deaf, Complete Mad", a memoir by Tony Cohen with John Olson (2023). (Source: fromthearchives.org) "Nick Cave had been offered a special reduced studio rate by Tim Stobart, allowing them to work during 'dead time'. As things panned out Stobart reneged on the agreement and then refused to hand over the tapes unless Nick paid the outrageously exorbitant bill that Stobart had presented the band. This kept the master tapes hostage for 6 months." From "Life in a Padded Cell: A Biography of Tony Cohen", a book by Dale Blair.

Feb-86
AU Melbourne, Nick Cave works with Hillcoat/English on the "Ghosts...of the Civil Dead" film script. A film in which Nick would play a role (filmed September/October 1987) and Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Blixa Bargeld and Anita Lane would record the soundtrack for (in March 1988).

Feb-86
[EU Mick Harvey tours Europe with Crime & the City Solution/ Blixa Bargeld tours Europe with Einstürzende Neubauten].

Mar-86
DE Berlin,Hansa Ton Studios (@ Köthener Strasse 38). Final recordings for the "Kicking Against The Pricks" album and "The Singer" single, with the Berliner Kaffeehausmusik Ensemble. Without Barry Adamson. Engineered by Flood (Mark Ellis), with assistance from Sven Borman and Tom Frederickse.

30-Mar-86
DE Berlin,Yorckstrasse (Thomas Wydler's place)

Photo: Reproduced in "King Ink" by Nick Cave (1988).

Note: Nick Cave writes "Scum" (about UK journalists Mat Snow, Barney Hoskyns, Antonella Black, and Australian journalist Nicholas Rothwell) on Easter day.

March/May-86
DE Berlin,Yorckstrasse and other places. Nick Cave continues working on his novel "And The Ass Saw The Angel" Nick and Blixa Bargeld are filmed for Peter Sempel's "Dandy" movie. Christophe Dreher [Die Haut] shoots "The Singer" promo music video.

Apr-86
[US Mick Harvey tours the USA with Crime & the City Solution].

May-86
DE Berlin,Hansa Ton Studios (@ Köthener Strasse 38). Start of the "Your Funeral..My Trial" album sessions. Engineered by Flood (Mark Ellis). Recording sketches for "Your Funeral..My Trial" and "Jack's Shadow", with Barry Adamson on bass.

Photo: Taken on 05-Jun-87, credit Michael Jödicke.

Note 1: While waiting for the "Kicking Against The Pricks" album master tapes to arrive from Melbourne, the band started recording for the new album. Last recording with Barry Adamson.

May/Jun-86
[US/CA Blixa Bargeld tours North America with Einstürzende Neubauten].

May/Jun-86
DE Berlin,Hansa Ton Studios (@ Köthener Strasse 38). Mixing of "Kicking Against The Pricks" album and "The Singer" single, in three/four days. Engineered by Flood (Mark Ellis), with assistance from Sven Borman and Tom Frederickse.

09-Jun-86
UK Release of the "The Singer// Running Scared/Black Betty" 7"/12" single (Mute records).

Jun-86
[EU/UK Mick Harvey tours the Europe/UK with Crime & the City Solution].

Jun-86
UK London,Mute offices/studio (@ 429 Harrow Road). Nick Cave and Tony Cohen record an early version of "Scum" (written about UK journalists Mat Snow, Barney Hoskyns, Antonella Black, and Australian journalist Nicholas Rothwell) .

Photo 1: Reproduced in "King Ink" by Nick Cave (1988).

Photo 2: "Scum" , sourced from The Nick Cave Exhibition.

Note: By June 1986 Tony Cohen had moved to London, starting to work at Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill." Mute Records had built their first incarnation of a studio in an office on Harrow Road. Nick and I locked ourselves in and binged on speed. We were there for a few days, but it felt like half an hour. He recorded an obscene vocal for the song, which got worse and worse until we rolled out of the studio in hysterics. It was silly, but lots of fun." from "Half Deaf, Complete Mad", a memoir by Tony Cohen with John Olson (2023).

Jul-86
DE Berlin,Hansa Ton Studios (@ Köthener Strasse 38). Start of the "Your Funeral..My Trial" album sessions. Engineered by Flood (Mark Ellis). Mick also records with Crime & the City Solution at Hansa during the same month.

Photo: Taken on 05-Jun-87, credit Michael Jödicke.

Note 1: The recording session were painful for Thomas Wydler who was either suffering from an inflamation of the joints in his right arm (or -according to another account- fell through a window cutting the tendons in one arm). Most drumming on the record was done by Mick Harvey.

Note 2: Neubauten were busy recording their "Fünf auf der nach oben offenen Richterskala" album at Hansa too.

Jul-86
DE Berlin,Hansa Ton Studios (@ Köthener Strasse 38). Recording the "Scum" song. Engineered by Flood (Mark Ellis). Released as a Flexi Disc (with poster), sold at concerts in London, Paris, Los Angeles, New York in October 1986.

Jul-86
UK Barry Adamson officially leaves the Bad Seeds. Barry had just lost his mother in March. He continued struggling with a heroin addiction. He would join the Gun Club for some live dates in April 1987 (replacing Romi Mori), then joining Iggy Pop's live band for a European festival tour in July 1987, followed by his first film soundtrack assignment for Derek Jarman's "The Last Of England". In 1988 he recorded his first and magnificent solo album "Moss Side Story", with some assistance from Anita Lane, Kid Congo Powers and Mick Harvey. At the end of that year he finally managed to overcome his addiction after a six weeks stay at Clouds House, East Knoyle in Wiltshire. By coincidence, during almost the same period, Nick Cave had also spent 7 weeks in rehab (August through September 1988). In 2013-2014 Barry would rejoin the Bad Seeds (replacing Thomas Wydler, on percussion and keyboard) for a massive 120+ dates world tour.

Note 1: " Cave and Harvey were startled by Adamson's decision to leave. 'He thought he was getting drawn back in so I can understand how he felt uncomfortable, says Harvey, 'He wasn't in a good condition generally. It was the only way he could respond. He wouldn't talk about it either, he'd just clam up. He wasn't in any state of mind to deal with the personalities or things that needed to be said. [...] Harvey deeply regretted the departure of a friend and a respected fellow musician: 'A very important point to me about The Bad Seeds was Barry leaving. I think we worked together musically very well and I missed him because there was no one to take that over. [...] It broke up The Bad Seeds being a full band in its own right" from "Bad Seed, the biography of Nick Cave" by Ian Johnston (1995).

Note 2:" [The 1990 line-up is] just naturally different. I don't know if it's better or worse. [In] '84 and '85, it was very much like a group, and it was just settling down when Barry finally left for good which threw it all into confusion again, and since then it's continued to be a loose conglomeration with a couple of permanent members with a fairly transitory background. With Barry, Thomas, me and Blixa were very strongly a group that was behind Nick." from an unpublished interview with Mick Harvey, Melbourne July 1990.

08-Aug-86
UK Release of the "Kicking Against The Pricks" album (on Mute records).

Review: Original review by Donald McRae from NME 16-Aug-86."One of this year's best records."

Aug-86
UK London-Shoreditch,The Strongroom (@ 120-124 Curtain Road). Continuation of the "Your Funeral..My Trial" album sessions. Engineered by Tony Cohen. Mixing of the album engineered by Flood (Mark Ellis).

Photo: Google street view, 2014.

Note 1: "I took over recording from Flood on 'Your Funeral... My Trial' in August at Strongroom. It was a good studio. I'd catch the train to London Bridge, then the underground to Old Street. Nick and I ran amok, which disjointed things somewhat but there was always an assistant engineer at hand to do the hard work." from "Half Deaf, Complete Mad", a memoir by Tony Cohen with John Olson (2023).

Note 2: The Strongroom was established at a former furniture warehouse by producer Richard Boote in 1984. One of the first albums recorded at the Strongroom were Blancmange's "Believe You Me", Crime and the City Solution's "Just South Of Heaven", John Cale’s "Artificial Intelligence" followed by Nico’s "Camera Obscura". Crime and the City Solution also recorded their "Room Of Lights" album at Strongroom during August/September 1986. The Bad Seeds would return to Strongroom for their "Tender Prey" album (in November '87-January '88).

Aug-86
[US Mick Harvey tours the USA with Crime & the City Solution].

08/20-Sep-86
[EU Mick Harvey tours Europe with Crime & the City Solution. Live sound by Tony Cohen].

Sep-86
UK London-Chelsea Wharf, a houseboat. Kid Congo Powers [The Gun Club] joins the band. Kid has just disbanded his Fur Bible band in London, yet would rejoin the Gun Club (in October '86), while remaining in the Bad Seeds.

Note: "I heard Fur Bible split up," Mick [Harvey] said. I told him we had, and that I wasn't sure what I was going to do next. "Well...," he said, "Barry Adamson's leaving the Bad Seeds." Mick, who had been playing guitar alongside Blixa, was going to switch to take on Barry's role and play bass. "We have a month of shows to play in Europe and we're looking for a second guitarist to take my spot. Do you want to fill in? We're rehearsing in Berlin." Just like that, without any forethought on my part, I was offered the opportunity to join Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. " from "Some New Kind of Kick: A Memoir", book by Kid Congo Powers (2022). Kid first stays at Thomas Wydler's place (in Yorckstrasse), then at Maria Zastrow's place (in Paul-Linke-Ufer). Maria [bartending @ the Risiko bar] had cut and styled Nick Cave's hair for the video that Christophe Dreher shot for "The Singer".

Sep-86
DE Berlin. Roland Wolf (a classically trained musician friend of Blixa Bargeld) joins the band.

Note 1: "I wasn't the only new recruit to the Bad Seeds for that tour. Roland Wolf, a friend of Blixa's who had been playing with Neubauten, was brought in to play piano and organ. He was an affable and extremely intelligent chap, with a curled lip that suggested a slight dismissiveness, and the ability to moan in impeccable English. We bonded as new inductees in the gang." from "Some New Kind of Kick: A Memoir", book by Kid Congo Powers (2022).

Note 2: Roland was born in Bonn in 1965, raised in Greece and he moved to Berlin in the early 80's. By 1987 he lives at an apartment in the Ritterstrasse where Danielle De Picciotto (later Alexander Hacke's wife) also lives.

2x-Sep-86
DE Berlin,-

Note 1: Rehearsals -with the new band members- for the upcoming tour.

Note 2: "There wasn't a whole lot of rehearsal time before the Bad Seeds went on tour. I learned the songs from the records and winged it. They used a lot of odd timings I wasn't used to. That was the biggest challenge, as well as working out where I fit in within a group unlike any I'd been in—larger-than-life personalities, alpha males all. [...] The Bad Seeds, at the time, were very into dressing up. Greasy hair and dirty suits, that was the look. A '50s jazz lounge-lizard junkie kind of vibe.[...] That was a prerequisite to be a Bad Seed at the time. Slick and slightly disheveled, we fit the vibe of the city perfectly. Berlin was the kind of place where you could wear anything you wanted." from "Some New Kind of Kick: A Memoir", book by Kid Congo Powers (2022).

26-Sep-86
DE Bochum,Zeche

Soundcheck: It Serves You Right to Suffer [John Lee Hooker]/ Sunny [Bobby Hebb]/ Sad Waters/ Stranger Than Kindness/ ?

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Train Long Suffering (*)/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ She Fell Away/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Knockin' On Joe (*)/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ Sad Waters/ From Her To Eternity (*)/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Stranger Than Kindness/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Muddy Water [Phil Rosenthal/Johnny Cash] (*).

Poster: Original poster, collection FTA.

Photo: Photo credit Peter Kostiw.

Note 1: Start of the 14-date European tour. Live sound engineered by Tony Cohen. Lights by Simon Bonney. Most songs [expect for (*)] broadcast by German radio and released on "The Funeral Tour" bootleg CD.

Note 2: Edzard Blum, taking time out from running his bar, Twilight, the new venue for Cave's marathon poker sessions, accompanied the band for the dates in Germany, beginning at Zeche in Bochum on 26 September. 'We'd been up for two or three days straight already in Berlin,' says Blum. 'We got in a tour van and drove towards West Germany. Nick was already in a condition where he couldn't really sleep or stay awake. He was standing in the middle of the van, shaking all over his body. [...] In that condition we arrived at Zeche and he had to play a show. He was just falling over on stage, tripping over the microphone cable." from "Bad Seed, the biography of Nick Cave" by Ian Johnston (1995).

27-Sep-86
DE Frankfurt,Batschkapp

Setlist: By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Train Long Suffering/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ She Fell Away/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow/ Sad Waters/ From Her To Eternity/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ Stranger Than Kindness/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers].

Photo: Credit Micha.

Listing: Listing from Spex mag Sep-86.

Note: "The venue was crowded and I saw for the very first time an artist high on drugs on stage. I noticed that because Nick acted a bit weird, he was some kind of shy, said not that much and let the others talk. Between the songs there were quite longer breaks for re-tuning or whatever as he went to the backside of the stage, sat on his heels and stared on the floor. But when he sang, everything was ok and he did a fantastic job." fan account from theultimatebootlegexperience7.blogspot.

29-Sep-86
DE Hamburg,Grosse Freiheit 36
[with Harlekin Glasbox]

Setlist: By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Train Long Suffering/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ She Fell Away/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow/ Sad Waters/ From Her To Eternity/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ Muddy Water [Phil Rosenthal/Johnny Cash]/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers].

Note 1: All songs from "By The Time.." through to "From Her To Eternity" were broadcast by German FM radio. Complete concert released on "The Joy Of Life" bootleg CD (containing the radio broadcast, with an additional audience recording).

Note 2: "In Hamburg, after a show at Grosse Freiheit 36 and a further session of after-hours drinking, Roland [Wolf] and I returned to our shared hotel room. Before turning in, we decided a nightcap was in order. As we sat and chatted, to our astonishment, the mattress on one of the beds started raising itself up. A rather haughty punk girl emerged from underneath it, briskly got to her feet, and cursed us in German while heading for the door. We looked on in silence. Only afterward did we realize she had hidden herself in the room hoping to spring herself on a bigger, badder Bad Seed than us but had mistakenly secreted herself in the wrong room. Roland and I couldn't sleep for laughing that night, amazed by the zealousness of Nick's fans and relieved we didn't end up as a sweetmeat for one of them." from "Some New Kind of Kick: A Memoir", book by Kid Congo Powers (2022).

Ticket: Scan of ticket.

30-Sep-86
DE Berlin,Metropol
[with Caspar Brötzmann]

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ From Her To Eternity/ Sad Waters (*)/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ She Fell Away (*)/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose] (*)/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow (*)/ Your Funeral...My Trial (*)/ Train Long Suffering/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ Stranger Than Kindness (*)/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers].

Photo: Photo credit Petra Gall (@ museum-digital Berlin).

Listing: Scan of listing from Spex mag Sep-86.

Note: Released on "The Singer" bootleg LP, except for tracks (*).

02-Oct-86
NO Oslo,Sardines

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ From Her To Eternity/ Sad Waters/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ She Fell Away/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Train Long Suffering/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers].

Photo: Credit © Arne Svalastog (from www.svalastog.no). Used with kind permission.

Listing: Scan of listing from Nye Takter #188, 01-Oct-86.

Interview: Scan of interview (ahead of the concert) from Nye Takter #189, 08-Oct-86.

03-Oct-86
DK København,Saltlageret

Poster: Photo of poster.

Photo: Photo credit Ole Dreyer Wogensen.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Note: "He was fucked up on some kind of drug, but he was great. In my opinion, this was Nick Cave at the top of his game." from Ole Dreyer Wogensen.

05-Oct-86
BE Deinze,Brielpoort - Futurama Festival
[with The Triffids, The Woodentops, Peter Murphy, Skinny Puppy and more..]

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ She Fell Away/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Train Long Suffering/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow/ From Her To Eternity/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers].

Poster: Photo of poster.

Handbill: Original handbill, collection FTA.

Ticket: Scan of ticket.

Photo: Magnificent photos by Gie Knaeps and Jan Goedefroit (via Getty Images).

06-Oct-86
NL Utrecht,Muziekcentrum Vredenburg
[with Claw Boys Claw]

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker](*)/ She Fell Away/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Train Long Suffering (*)/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow/ Sad Waters/ From Her To Eternity (*)/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels] (*)/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed].

Review 1: Scan of review from NRC Handelsblad 07-Oct-86.

Review 2: Scan of review from Het Parool 07-Oct-86.

Review 3: Scan of review from Algemeen Dagblad 08-Oct-86.

Note: Performance was marred by 3 power cuts, twice during "Long Time Man" and once during "Knockin' On Joe". Most tracks (except [*]) broadcast by Dutch VPRO FM radio ("Backline", 08-Oct-86). "Train Long Suffering" broadcast by ORF FM Radio ("Music Box" on 25-Dec-90) and later released on the "Stranger Than Kindness" bootleg CD.

07-Oct-86
FR Paris,Elysée Montmartre

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ She Fell Away/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Train Long Suffering/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ From Her To Eternity/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ Stranger Than Kindness/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed].

Poster: Photo of poster.

Ticket: Scan of ticket from ticketcollector.

Photo: Photo credit Roger Viollet.

Note 1: "After the show in Utrecht we drove to Amsterdam. [...] We had knives held at our throats! It was scary, but Nick managed to score a large amount of smack and we got shit-faced. The next morning we hired a minibus to drive to Paris and stopped by the French embassy to get our visas. Amsterdam looked completely different in the daytime and was very pretty. It was a five- or six-hour drive to Paris. We drove through Belgium and made it to the French border, where we were lined up at customs. [...] Nick was really stoned, nodding off against the wall, so the guards decided to search the minibus. Three times. Bags of leftover smack and a syringe were gaffer taped under one of the seats. A customs guard put his hand on the seat and I thought, 'Oh no here we go', but he didn't find it. Instead, he produced a syringe lid from Nick's pocket. [...] Ultimately, it turned out the guards just wanted some free merchandise so a box of T-shirts later, we were on our way. We rolled up to Paris hours late. I walked into the venue in Montmartre either side of the stage and there were two small red speaker boxes, the size of a home stereo [..] That was the PA, what a nightmare." from "Half Deaf, Complete Mad", a memoir by Tony Cohen with John Olson (2023).(Source: fromthearchives.org)

Note 2: Copies of the "Scum" flexi (written about UK journalists Mat Snow, Barney Hoskyns, Antonella Black, and Australian journalist Nicholas Rothwell) are sold.

09-Oct-86
AT Linz,Posthof

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ She Fell Away/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Train Long Suffering/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ From Her To Eternity/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers].

Photo: Screen capture from video.

Video: Private video.

Note: Released on "Black Folder" bootleg LP.

12-Oct-86
UK London,Town & Country Club
[ with The Moodists & The Gun Club]

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ She Fell Away/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Train Long Suffering/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ From Her To Eternity/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ Muddy Water [Phil Rosenthal/Johnny Cash]/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed].

Ad: Taken from Sounds mag 11-Oct-86.

Review 1: Original review from NME 18-Oct-86, collection FTA.

Review 2: Original review by NE Bodee (who dislikes both The Moodists' and The Bad Seeds' performances) from TNT 28-Oct-86.

Note 1: Copies of the "Scum" flexi (written about UK journalists Mat Snow, Barney Hoskyns, Antonella Black, and Australian journalist Nicholas Rothwell) are sold.

Note 2: "When we hit London, the Bad Seeds were playing to two thousand people at the Town & Country Club. The [reformed] Gun Club were supporting them. Thinking my tenure with the Bad Seeds was going to end after that one tour, I had agreed to join them onstage and play with Jeffrey again. [...] That one-off felt good enough that I agreed to do a European tour with [The Gun Club] immediately after the Bad Seeds tour [which ended in New York on 02-Nov-86]." from "Some New Kind of Kick: A Memoir", book by Kid Congo Powers (2022).

14-Oct-86
UK London-Harlesden,Mean Fiddler

Photo : Credit Andrew T.

Ad: Original advert from NME 11-Oct-86, collection FTA.

Note: Extra London show.

15-Oct-86
UK Manchester,International 2

Setlist: The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ From Her To Eternity/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Train Long Suffering/ She Fell Away/ Knockin' On Joe/ Stranger Than Kindness/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers].

Ad: Original ad from Sounds mag 04-Oct-86, collection FTA.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Note: Henry Rollins and Chris Haskett drive from Leeds (where they are recording Rollins Band's "Hot Animal Machine" album) to catch the show.

19-Oct-86
IS Reykjavik,Roxzý
[with Ast Ridan (Björk and Sigtryggur)]

Setlist: The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ From Her To Eternity/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Train Long Suffering/ Stranger Than Kindness/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers].

Poster: Photo of poster.

Note: Last date of the 14-date European tour.

20-Oct-86
CA ON,Toronto,The Diamond nightclub
[with Sax Pistols]

Ad: Scan of ad from the Toronto Star 10-Oct-86.

Note: Show cancelled.

20-Oct-86
US NY,New York City,Iroquois Hotel

Note: The band arrives from Iceland, stays at the Iroquois Hotel and flys out the next day to Cleveland.

21-Oct-86
US OH,Cleveland,Peabody's Down Under

Setlist: The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ From Her To Eternity/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Train Long Suffering/ Jack's Shadow/ Knockin' On Joe/ Stranger Than Kindness/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker] and ...a few more.

Photo: Original photo print credit unknown. Photo 2. Collection FTA.

Ticket: Original ticket, collection FTA.

Note: Start of the 3rd North American tour, 10 dates only. Tour manager is Steve Montgomery, who also did the same job for Savage Republic. According to Tony Cohen's memoir the tour manager was 'Louie'. Live sound engineered by Tony Cohen.

22-Oct-86
US NY,New York City

Article: Original article from NME 08-Nov-86, collection FTA.

Note: Nick Cave was arrested and put in jail for 2 days by the police after having bought drugs in (what was then known as) "Alphabet City", in the East Village of Manhattan. Tony Cohen and Roland Wolf, also looking for drugs, had not dared to follow Nick in that area. "When [the police] finally let him out, [...] another gig was scheduled at The Ritz for the end of the tour. Things were grim by that stage and about four people turned up. It caused a lot of grief. I didn't know until later, but we had to get out of town quickly - apparently organised crime was running venues and New York was the show 'not to miss. It cost the group a lot of money." from "Half Deaf, Complete Mad", a memoir by Tony Cohen with John Olson (2023).

23-Oct-86
US NY,New York City,The Ritz
[with Rat At Rat R]

Listing: Scan of listing from Daily News 19-Oct-86.

Note: Re-scheduled to 02-Nov-86 due to the fact that Nick Cave had been picked up in a drug sweep in the streets of New York City. Upon release from (a 2 day stay in) jail Nick buys heroin in bulk which turns out to be impure. He nevertheless persists in taking it throughout the tour steadily becoming sicker.

24-Oct-86
US IL,Chicago,Cabaret Metro

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ From Her To Eternity/ Sad Waters/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Train Long Suffering/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Stranger Than Kindness/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers].

Listing: Scan of listing from Chicago Tribune 24-Oct-86.

Note: Followed by a Sigue Sigue Sputnik look alike contest.

26-Oct-86
US MN,Minneapolis,1st Avenue-Main room

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ From Her To Eternity/ Sad Waters/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Train Long Suffering/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Stranger Than Kindness/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers].

Calendar: Photo of calendar, courtesy of Jay Kern.

28-Oct-86
US CA,San Francisco,Reckless Records-record store
(afternoon show)

Setlist: By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ It Serves You Right To Suffer [John Lee Hooker]/ Love Is Only Love/ Rye Whiskey [traditional]/ Wade In The Water [African-American spiritual]/ Green Green Grass Of Home [Tom Jones]/ Long Black Veil [Dill/Wilkin/Johnny Cash]/ Mini Skirts (Walking In The Park) [John Lee Hooker]/ Hey Joe [Billy Roberts]/ Knockin' On Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan].

Photo: Credit unknown.

Note: Acoustic set.

28-Oct-86
US CA,San Francisco,I Beam
(evening show)

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ From Her To Eternity/ Stranger Than Kindness/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ A Box For Black Paul/ She Fell Away/ Train Long Suffering/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ Muddy Water [Phil Rosenthal/Johnny Cash]/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers].

Poster: Photo of poster.

Ad: Scan of advert from The San Francisco Examiner 26-Oct-86.

Photos: A series of brilliant photos by Michael Conen.

29-Oct-86
US CA,Los Angeles,Variety Arts Center,Main theatre
[with Lydia Lunch & Jane's Addiction]

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ From Her To Eternity/ Stranger Than Kindness/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Train Long Suffering/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow/ Your Funeral...My Trial and most likely also: The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ Muddy Water [Phil Rosenthal/Johnny Cash]/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers].

Poster: Photo of poster.

Ad: Scan of advert from LA Weekly 24-Oct-86.

Review: Scan of review from LA Weekly 07-Nov-86.

Note 1: "After performing [the show], Nick persuades a girl to drive him to 6th street and Union street to try to score some more heroin, but was robbed at gunpoint by a chicano junkie." from "Bad Seed", a biography by Ian Johnston (1995).

Note 2: Copies of the "Scum" flexi (written about UK journalists Mat Snow, Barney Hoskyns, Antonella Black, and Australian journalist Nicholas Rothwell) are sold.

30-Oct-86
CA BC,Vancouver,Town Pump
[with Vertical Laughter and Nasha Rev]

Poster: Photo of poster.

Photos: Killer photos by Rob Gander.

Review: Scan of review from The Vancouver Sun 31-Oct-86.

Note: About 300 in attendance.

31-Oct-86
US CO,Denver,Aztlan Theater
[with Connie Francis Style]

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ From Her To Eternity/ Stranger Than Kindness/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Train Long Suffering/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow/ Muddy Water [Phil Rosenthal/Johnny Cash]/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ Your Funeral...My Trial.

Poster: Photo of poster.

01-Nov-86
US MI,Detroit,St. Andrews Hall

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ From Her To Eternity/ Stranger Than Kindness/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Train Long Suffering/ Knockin' On Joe(*)/ Mini Skirt [John Lee Hooker]/ Jack's Shadow/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb].

Listing: Scan of listing from The Lance-University of Windsor, 30-Oct-86.

Note: (*)At this point in the set Blixa's amp dies, and the rest of the band play an impromptu version of John Lee Hookers "Mini Skirts", while Blixa gets a replacement.

02-Nov-86
US NY,New York City,The Ritz
[with Rat R Rat R]

Listing: Scan of listing from Daily News 02-Nov-86.

Recollections: Recollections of the Ritz shows by Richard Metzger at Dangerous Minds.

Note: Rescheduled from 23-Oct-86. Last date of the 3rd North American tour.

Note 2: Copies of the "Scum" flexi (written about UK journalists Mat Snow, Barney Hoskyns, Antonella Black, and Australian journalist Nicholas Rothwell) are sold.

03-Nov-86
UK Release of the "Your Funeral...My Trial" 2x12" on Mute records

Review: Original review (4.5 stars) by Chris Roberts from Sounds 08-Nov-86, collection FTA.

07-Nov-86
AU Mount Waverly,Trevor Court. Tracy Pew [ex- Birthday Party] had experienced a fit whilst in his girlfriend's Kate Jarret's bedroom. He then suffered a grand mal epileptic seizure, and died of natural causes.

Announcement: Scan of funeral announcement from The Age 10-Nov-86.

Note 1: On 12-Nov-86, Tracy was buried at the Springvale Botanical Cemetery.

Note 2: "[Tracy death] hit Nick and Mick hard. Tracy was a lovely man and we had a lot of good times together, even if they did generally involve getting up to monkey business. Tracy was a fun person. He was a big drinker and a drug user, but he was incredibly intelligent. [...] When Tracy died he was back in Melbourne studying." from "Half Deaf, Complete Mad", a memoir by Tony Cohen with John Olson (2023).

11-Nov-86
[UK London-Soho,Trident Studios (@ 17 St. Anne's Court). Nick Cave records music for his upcoming readings from his "And The Ass Saw The Angel" novel. All instruments by Nick Cave. Engineered by Tony Cohen. Tracks recorded are: Mah Sanctum/ Lamentation/ One Autumn/ Animal Static/ The Atra Virago.]

15/30-Nov-86
[EU Mick Harvey tours Europe with Crime & the City Solution].

12-Nov/07-Dec-86
[EU Kid Congo Powers tours Europe with The Gun Club].

Nov/Dec-86
DE Berlin. Nick Cave continues staying at Christoph Dreher's loft (@ Dresdenerstrasse 11), where he keeps working on his novel "And The Ass Saw The Angel" and is also filmed, together with Blixa Bargeld, for Peter Sempel's "Dandy" movie. Christoph started renting the loft since 1978.

Photo 1: Photo credit Bleddyn Butcher, from his photobook "A Little History. Nick Cave & cohorts, 1981-2013" (2014). Taken on 17-Dec-86.

Photo 2: As above, photo taken on 18-Dec-86 @ Hansa TonStudios, where Wire were recording their "The Ideal Copy" album. Nick Cave was there for the photoshoot only, not for any recordings.

11-Dec-86
DE München-Unterföhring,Theaterfabrik
(1st show)

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Sad Waters/ She Fell Away/ Jack's Shadow/ Blind Lemon Jefferson/ Train Long Suffering/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Your Funeral...My Trial.

Photo: Photo credit Petra Gall (@ museum-digital Berlin).

Ad: Scan of advert from Spex Nr. 12, December 1986. Which shows the date as December 9th.

Note: Audio released on the "Black Crow King" bootleg LP, except for last track. One-off date, most likely organised by Nick Cave's new German manager Jeanette Bleeker.

11-Dec-86
DE München-Unterföhring,Theaterfabrik
(2nd show)

24-Jan/01-Feb-87
[NL Thomas Wydler tours with Die Haut].

Jan-87
DE Berlin. Sound engineer Tony Cohen moves from London to Berlin. First at Mick Harvey's place, then at Christophe Dreher's [Die Haut] place (@ Dresdenerstrasse 11), with Nick Cave. And later he lives at the "Ruin" squat on Gleditschstrasse 11, in Schöneberg, across St. Matthias church.

Photo: Credit Ralf Hattenbauer.

Feb-87
UK London,Uxbridge Magistrates,Nick Cave found guilty of heroin possession.

Feb-87
DE Berlin,Hansa Ton Studios (@ Köthener Strasse 38). Re-recording the "From Her To Eternity" song for Wim Wenders' "Der Himmel Ueber Berlin"/"Wings Of Desire" film. Engineered by Tony Cohen.

Photo: Screen capture from Bram Van Splunteren's documentary "Stranger In A Strange Land", filmed 14/19-Feb-87.

Note 1: Three months later (May/June-87) Die Haut (with Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Kid Congo Powers and Anita Lane) would record "Headless Body In A Topless Bar" album at Hansa. Engineered by Tony Cohen. Mixed by Flood. The Gun Club (with Kid) would record "Mother Juno" in July, also at Hansa.

Note 2: "Wim [Wenders] wanted "From Her to Eternity" to sound like the band playing live, so I put a whopping great PA in Hansa and we rerecorded the song. It sounds like it's blasting out of a PA because that's exactly what happened. I kept playing the mix back at me and rerecording it, but what I could have done in an hour I spent all night doing! You don't get to muck around with a double 4-way PA in a huge room every day." from "Half Deaf, Complete Mad", a memoir by Tony Cohen with John Olson (2023).

08-Feb-87
SI Ljubljana,Cankarjev Dom/Cankar Hall or Dvorana Kodeljevo/Sports centre Ljubljana

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ From Her To Eternity/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Train Long Suffering/ Stranger Than Kindness/ Jack's Shadow/ Sad Waters/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Knockin' On Joe/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ Muddy Water [Phil Rosenthal/Johnny Cash]/ She Fell Away/ 500 Miles [Hedy West/Peter, Paul and Mary].

Ticket: Scan of ticket.

Video 1: Private video, courtesy of ScottishTeeVee.

Video 2: Private video, by Marjan Suhi.

Recollections: " There were more people in the venue than I expected [...] On a couple of occasions, the whole band gathered in the corner of the stage, they lit cigarettes and chatted, most likely what they were going to play next [...] Throughout the concert, Cave was joking with the audience and was surprisingly good-natured, which was strange considering that only a few days earlier he had been found guilty in a London court for possessing of heroin.[ ...] "I used to drink, I used to smoke" - Nick Cave sang the lyrics of the blues classic "Saved", by singer LaVern Baker from 1961, as an introduction to the song "All Tomorrow's Parties" [...] Nick Cave's concert in Ljubljana remains in my memory as one of my favorite concerts. It was fierce, although it wasn't punk. It was dark, although it wasn't dark. It was exactly how I felt at the time." by Goran Polak from Strazarni Lopov.

Note: First of an 11-date European 'tour' which would span the whole year. Partially released on "Nick Cave Živi V Ljubljani" tape (ŠKUC/Ropot, 1987).

10/12-Feb-87
DE Berlin-Tiergarten,Grand Hotel Esplanade-Ballroom (@ Bellevuestraße 1/Potzdamer Platz)

Photo: Screen capture from DVD.

Poster: Poster, screen capture from DVD.

Video: Great documentary "Die Potse" by Hartmut Schoen about the Hotel Esplanade circa late 1986, with footage from inside the hotel. Broadcast by NOS, Dutch TV 1987.

Note 1: The Bad Seeds are filmed for Wim Wenders' "Der Himmel Ueber Berlin"/"Wings Of Desire" film on these days. In 2000 the Sony Center was opened at the same location, incorporating the few parts (i.e. the Kaisersaal) that remained of the former hotel. Since March 2023 it's named the "Center am Potsdamer Platz".

Note 2: "I think it was in 1986 when Joe [...] said all of a sudden "They're shooting a movie and we can get 50 DM plus at the old Esplanade, we just have to go there, Nick Cave is playing with the Bad Seeds in the movie." It was for the filming of 'Wings of Desire' by Wim Wenders [...] We was arrived at around 2:00p.m., it was freezing [...] I think I remember that the scene with Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds should have been shot in a few hours, but it took a few days. Nick was holding the whisky bottle between the scenes like a microphone. There was a piano Nick was playing between the scenes that you unfortunately don't see in the movie. I remember Kid Congo on stage as one of the gentlest, smartest and best-styled men I had seen in ages. [...] Wim Wenders captured in a few scenes in the movie how Berlin really was at this time. He delivered the whole spirit of the "City Of Refuge." [...] The filming ended in the middle of the night and continued the next morning." Recollections by Steve Morell [Mudd club Berlin] from "City Primeval: New York, Berlin, Prague", a book by Louis Armand and Robert Carrithers (CZ, 2017).(Source: fromthearchives.org)

Note 2: "The band scene was filmed at the Hotel Esplanade on Potsdamer Platz, right near the Wall. The building isn't there anymore, and even then it was bombed out. The live recording from Hansa is what the band mimes to in the film." from "Half Deaf, Complete Mad", a memoir by Tony Cohen with John Olson (2023).

14/19-Feb-87
DE Berlin/Hamburg. Over a period of 6 days, Nick Cave and the band are filmed for "Stranger In A Strange Land", a Dutch VPRO TV documentary (40 minutes) by Bram Van Splunteren. Filming takes place at Dresdenerstrasse 11 [Christoph Dreher's place], the band's rehearsal room, the Hansa Ton Studios, The Fall concert at the Metropol on 15-Feb-87, and in Hamburg on 19-Feb-87, where Nick Cave is for his first reading from his novel "And The Ass Saw The Angel" .

Rehearsal list: Yesterday [Lennon/McCartney]/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed].

Photo 1: Nick Cave's rooms @ Dresdenerstrasse 11 [Christoph Dreher's place].

Photo 2: Photo, backstage @ The Fall's concert at the Metropol on 15-Feb-87.

Photo 3: Photo @ the band's rehearsal space.

Photo 4: Photo @ Hansa Ton Studio, by the Berlin Wall.

Video: Video. Broadcast on Dutch TV on 31-May-87. Previewed at the Melkweg in Amsterdam on 25-May-87, in the presence of Nick Cave, who was in Amsterdam for a reading from his novel "And The Ass Saw The Angel".

Mar-87
[DE Blixa Bargeld (with Einstürzende Neubauten) has a residency @ the Deutsches Schauspielhaus, Hamburg with Peter Zadek's theatreplay/rockmusical "Andi"].

23-Apr-87
SE Stockholm,Ritz

Setlist: The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels](+)/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker](+)/ Train Long Suffering(*)/ Stranger Than Kindness(*)/ Jack's Shadow/ Knockin' On Joe (+)/ She Fell Away(+)/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose](+)/ Your Funeral...My Trial(+)/ From Her To Eternity(+)/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb](*)/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed](*).

Photo: Credit unknown, from Soundi mag (Finland), May 1987.

Note 1: Broadcast by Swedish FM radio, except (*). Excerpts(+) released on the "Ritz Stockholm" bootleg LP.

Note 2: "The gig was a real joke, because my voice was lost halfway through. The problem is that I haven't sung for a long time, and it's only after a couple of gigs that I'm okay. I was just waiting for someone to throw a bottle on stage so we could walk away. I have to remember to hire someone to do it, Nick grins to himself. - I've been sitting in front of a typewriter for so long that I can't remember how to move on stage and how to dance." Nick Cave quoted in an interview with Jorma Jortikka in Soundi mag (Finland), May 1987.

24-Apr-87
SE Stockholm,Ritz

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Sad Waters/ She Fell Away/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Train Long Suffering/By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed].

25-Apr-87
SE Hultsfred,Klubben

Photo: Credit Ulf Martinsson.

Note: "The show was cut short after Nick left the stage and didn’t come back." fan recollections by Johan Ljung.

26-Apr/03-May-87
[EU/UK Kid Congo Powers tours with the Gun Club].

10-May-87
AT Wien,Raimund Theater
Big Beat festival

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Sad Waters/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan](*)/ Knockin' On Joe(*)/ Jack's Shadow/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Train Long Suffering/ Stranger Than Kindness/ From Her To Eternity(*)/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb](*)/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed](*)/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ Muddy Water [Phil Rosenthal/Johnny Cash](*)/ She Fell Away(*).

Photo: Credit Kestutis Lapsis.

Ad: Scan of advert from Spex May 1987.

Note: Broadcast by Austrian Ö3 FM radio, "Music Box" program on 11-May-87, except (*). Simon Bonney was doing the lights.

May/June-87
[DE Berlin,Hansa Ton Studios (@ Köthener Strasse 38). Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Kid Congo Powers & Anita Lane record the "Headless Body In A Topless Bar" album with Die Haut in a week. Engineered by Tony Cohen. Mixed by Flood (Mark Ellis)].

0x-Jun-87
[UK London-Soho,Trident Studios (@ 17 St. Anne's Court). Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Thomas Wydler & Barry Adamson work on Anita Lane's "Dirty Sings" EP. Engineered by Gareth Jones and Tony Cohen. Mixed by Flood (Mark Ellis). Produced by Dicky Russcombe (aka Mick Harvey).

Note: "The first week of June 1987 saw Tony return briefly to London recording Anita Lane's EP 'Dirty Sings' at Trident studio with Mick Harvey. [...] Tony says the sessions were hard work. 'I remember Mick Harvey being very patient because she wasn't much of a singer. We used to take sixteen takes and Mick and I would just have to find the most in tune words and cut it all together but still very good.'" from "Life in a Padded Cell: A Biography of Tony Cohen", a book by Dale Blair].

12-Jun-87
DE Berlin,Ufa Gelände
Kinofest

Setlist: Your Funeral...My Trial/ Stranger Than Kindness/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels].

Note: Soundchecking for next day's event.

13-Jun-87
DE Berlin,Ufa Gelände,Kinofest
("Der Himmel Ueber Berlin"/"Wings Of Desire"- German premiere)

Setlist: The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ From Her To Eternity/ Scum.

Note: The band and their friends and entourage (amongst others Alex Hacke) get totally drunk on margaritas and terrify the members of establishment present, much to the amusement of Wim Wenders. Partially broadcast by German TV in February 1988.

23-Jun-87
DE Berlin,Quartier Latin
(Benefit for The Gift record shop)
[with Die Haut]

Setlist: 15mins cover set with amongst others: Let It Be Me [Pierre Delanoë/Everly Brothers] and some Carpenters songs.

Photo: Credit Peter Gruchot.

Note: Without Blixa Bargeld.

24/26-Jun-87
[DE Blixa Bargeld tours Germany with Einstürzende Neubauten].

Jul-87
[DE Kid Congo Powers records the "Mother Juno" album the Gun Club @ Hansa Ton Studios, Berlin].

15-Aug-87
DE Hamburg,Knopf's Music Hall,Kings of Independence festival
[with Die Haut, Crime & City Solution, Butthole Surfers, Swans, The Fall & more..]

Setlist: Hey Joe [Billy Roberts]/ Saint Huck(*)/ Jack's Shadow/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Stranger Than Kindness(*)/ Sad Waters/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ From Her To Eternity/ Let It Be Me [Pierre Delanoë/Everly Brothers]/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels].

Ticket: Scan of ticket.

Photo: Screen captures from video.

Video: Video released by Studio K7.

Note 1: Knopf's Music Hall had a safe capacity of approximately 1250 people. Jeanette Bleeker (Nick Cave manager who organised this festival) had asked to sell up to 2,600 tickets. Several hundreds of fans -who were no let in- caused a total riot in the streets. Cars were set on fire, and were burning the whole night long. The band played at 5 AM and could only leave the venue after police had cleared the streets. Venue changed name to Docks in 1988.

Note 2: Tracks (*) released on "Kings Of Independence" VHS video (Studio K7) and on "Long Time Man" bootleg CD.

16-Aug-87
DE Bonn,Biskuithalle,Kings of Independence festival
[with Die Haut, Crime & City Solution, Butthole Surfers, Swans, The Fall & more..]

Setlist: Hey Joe [Billy Roberts]/ From Her To Eternity/ Stranger Than Kindness/ She Fell Away/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Sad Waters/ Saint Huck.

Ticket: Scan of ticket.

Ad: Scan of advert from Spex August 1987.

Note 1: The police raided the hotel, after noise complaints, and arrested Kid Congo Powers when a syringe -left by someone else- was found in his room. All bands were finally ejected from the hotel at 7AM because of the havoc they had created.(Source: fromthearchives.org)

Note 2: Butthole Surfers do not play.

Note 3: "Mick Harvey: Tony had taken lots of smack or something and he nodded off at the mixing desk. He famously had all the imprints of the buttons on his forehead but I could tell from the audience the sound was [poor]. It sounded great where we were and I thought 'What the fuck is going on out there? What was going on with the sound mix?' And it was just Tony had nodded off and fallen asleep with his face on the desk." from "Life in a Padded Cell: A Biography of Tony Cohen", a book by Dale Blair.

03/15-Sep-87
[UK/EU Blixa Bargeld tours with Einstürzende Neubauten].

07/13-Sep-87
DE Berlin,Hansa Ton Studios-Studio 2 (@ Köthener Strasse 38). Start of the recording sessions for the "Tender Prey" album and "The Mercy Seat" & "Deanna" singles. Recorded songs include: "Joy Ride" (never released), "Mercy", "(Watching)Alice", "City Of Refuge", "Sugar,Sugar,Sugar(early version)" and backing tracks for "The Mercy Seat". Engineered by Tony Cohen.

Invoice: Tony Cohen's 'invoice' for his work as sound engineer, sourced from @Tonycohenbook.

Note: "We were working at Hansa one night when Mick [Harvey] made this loop of himself beating on his bass with drumsticks. Immediately, you could hear something very cool was coming out of it. That song would turn into 'The Mercy Seat', which was completed at sessions in London a few weeks later. I didn't get to play on it, sadly, but it was enough just to be around while it was being recorded. You knew something very special was happening." from "Some New Kind of Kick: A Memoir", book by Kid Congo Powers (2022).

18/2x-Sep-87
UK London-Soho,Trident Studios (@ 17 St. Anne's Court). Continuation of recording sessions for the "Tender Prey" album and "The Mercy Seat" & "Deanna" singles. Recording "The Mercy Seat" on 22-Sep-87 (Nick's 30th birthday). Engineered by Tony Cohen.

Note: " 'Tender Prey' was like the end of me for a while. 'The Mercy Seat' for instance knocked ten years off my lifespan, just working on it. There was so much on there, to try and make any sense out of it, which is great you know. I think we mixed it about six or eight times. The vocals were very hard, getting a good vocal sound, the difference between Nick's talking and singing. Today I could do it in five minutes. I think me being very foggy didn't help. " Tony Cohen from "Bad Seed", a biography by Ian Johnston (1995).

25-Sep-87
GR Athina,Club 22
[with The Mushrooms]

Setlist: Hey Joe [Billy Roberts]/ Train Long Suffering/ She Fell Away/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Jack's Shadow/ Sad Waters/ From Her To Eternity/ Stranger Than Kindness/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Saint Huck/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker].

Photo 1: Credit Jiannis Zagoreos.

Photo 2: Killer photo set by Yannis Alexandridis.

Ticket:Photo of ticket.

Note: Nick Cave alledgedly shoots up heroin backstage just before "Phoenix" -the first of 3 encores- and passes out mid-line during "I'm Gonna Kill That Woman" after the rest of the band had left the stage. Live sound engineered by Tony Cohen.

26-Sep-87
GR Athina,Club 22

Setlist: Your Funeral...My Trial/ Knockin' On Joe/ and more...

Review: Original review from NME 17-Oct-87, collection FTA.

Note: Live sound engineered by Tony Cohen.

10-Oct/28-Nov-87
[EU/UK Kid Congo Powers tours with the Gun Club].

Oct/Nov-87
[AU Port Melbourne,disused factory. Nick Cave attends shootings for the "Ghosts...of the Civil Dead" prison film, for which he wrote part of the screenplay, and in which he plays the role of inmate Maynard. Two days rehearsals/three days of shooting. For the film, Nick needed a short haircut.]

Nov-87
UK London-Shoreditch,The Strongroom (@ 120-124 Curtain Road). Continuation of the recording sessions for the "Tender Prey" album and "The Mercy Seat" & "Deanna" singles. Engineered by Tony Cohen.

27-Nov-87
IT Pisa,Palasport

Poster: Photo of poster, courtesy of Paolo Bedini (1983-1993 Italian promoter for many bands including Nick Cave, Suicide, Gun Club, Einstürzende Neubauten,..)

Telex: Telexes between UK promotor The Station Agency and Paolo Bedini (AZ Music) about the late arrival of Nick Cave.

Contract: Contract, for the 3 Italian shows, for a fee of 36000DM (38000 EUR/45000US$ in today's money).

Note 1: Cancelled, because at Berlin airport Nick noticed he had forgotten his passport. Eventually things were sorted out and he boarded on a flight that arrived in Milano airport at 20:30. While the transport to Pisa (300 kms distance) was waiting, a discussion about Nick's luggage content with a customs officer delayed Nick's arrival even further. The concert was then eventually cancelled at 23:00. The organizer of the Palasport concert had to leave the premises, escorted by police. The band and audience had been waiting for Nick for hours.

Note 2: Kid Congo Powers was performing live in Rennes, France with the Gun Club. Live sound engineered by Tony Cohen.

28-Nov-87
IT Novellara,Ritz

Setlist: Hey Joe [Billy Roberts]/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Train Long Suffering/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ City Of Refuge/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ Knockin' On Joe/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Stranger Than Kindness/ From Her To Eternity/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ A Box For Black Paul/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed].

Photo: Screen captures from video.

Video: Private video.

Note : A totally shambolic affair. The band is totally pissed, but in good spirits. Concert started at 23:30. Without Kid Congo Powers who was performing live with The Gun Club in Paris, France. Live sound engineered by Tony Cohen.

30-Nov-87
IT Torino,Discoteca Big Club

Setlist: Hey Joe [Billy Roberts]/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Train Long Suffering/ Stranger Than Kindness/ City Of Refuge/ Jack's Shadow/ Knockin' On Joe/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ From Her To Eternity/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Oh Happy Day [Edwin Hawkins Singers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Blue Suede Shoes [Carl Perkins].

Contract: Contract between promotor Paolo Bedini (AZ Music) and Italian RAI radio for the recording and broadcast of the concert.

Review: Scan of review from La Stampa 02-Dec-87.

Note 1: 900 people attended. An even worse performance than the day before, Nick Cave is totally out of it. To top things, all songs as of "Jack's Shadow" were broadcast live-to-air by Italian RAI FM Radio 2.

Note 2: With Kid Congo Powers on a break from the Gun Club tour. Live sound engineered by Tony Cohen.

Note 3: "We did a great version of [Black Betty] in Italy once which went for about fifteen minutes, because Nick was really drunk and improvised the whole time, so we just kept going. It was much faster, and we had a stage with wooden floorboards so everyone was stomping and stuff, it was quite funny [...] I think he went straight into some song [Blue Suede Shoes] and we had to start playing it, going, 'what the hell is he doing?!'" Mick Harvey interviewed for Party Fears #9 fanzine (1988/1989).

04/21-Dec-87
[EU/UK Kid Congo Powers tours with the Gun Club].

1x-Dec-87
DE Berlin,Vielklang Studios (@ Stresemannstraße, next to Hansa Studios). Continuation of the recording sessions for the "Tender Prey" album and "Deanna" single. Engineered by Tony Cohen.

Note: "Nick recorded more vocals on 'Tender Prey' at Vielklang in the middle of December. It was a small demo studio with egg cartons on the walls and mattresses over the windows, held together with sticky tape and god knows what. I've always liked shabby, slapped-together places. Vielklang was next to the Berlin Wall, which went right down the middle of the street, splitting it in two. We would leave the front doors open just to see the Wall. That's where 'Deanna' was recorded, which was a loose idea Nick had for a song. He fiddled around with a Hammond organ while Mick hit a floor tom. It wasn't meant for the record but we ended up using it - drums were recorded over the top and the track grew, with bits added in London and more back in Australia. As you can tell, 'Tender Prey' wasn't a coherent, continuous session. It would crop up for a week here and there, which is part of what makes the album unique." from "Half Deaf, Complete Mad", a memoir by Tony Cohen with John Olson (2023).

01/07-Jan-88
UK London-Hornsey,Konk studios-Studio 2 (@ 84-86 Tottenham Lane). Mixing and overdub sessions for the "Tender Prey" album and "The Mercy Seat" & "Deanna" singles. Engineered by Tony Cohen. Mixing "City Of Refuge", "The Girl At The Bottom Of My Glass" and "The Mercy Seat". Blixa Bargeld arrives on the 6th. Adding strings on "The Mercy Seat" by Audrey Riley [Marc Almond], Chris Tombling [Barry Adamson,Marc Almond] and Gini Ball [Marc Almond].

Diary: Tony Cohen's diary entries for his work as sound engineer, sourced from @Tonycohenbook.

Photo: Google street view, 2009.

Note: Former tobacco and confectionery warehouse bought by The Kinks and converted to a (private) recording studio in 1973. In 1984 Studio 2 was designed and opened as a mix room.

Jan-88
UK London,Marylebone police station. Nick Cave is arrested for possession of 884mgs of heroin. He is to appear in Court on 01-Aug-88.

Jan-88
AU Melbourne Tullamarine airport. Tony Cohen leaves Berlin and returns home. Upon arrival he is interviewed by Federal police on suspicion of being drugs on and transporting them, but is later released.

Feb-88
AU Melbourne Tullamarine airport. Nick Cave is arrested upon arrival by narcotics officers, but later released. Tony Cohen had warned him that he would be searched.

Feb-88
AU Melbourne-Richmond,The Studio. Recording & mixing "Mercy" and "Watching Alice" for the "Tender Prey" album. Hugo Race [former Bad Seeds, then The Wreckery] guests on both songs. Engineered by Chris Thompson.

18-Feb-88
AU Melbourne,Royal Agricultural Showgrounds-Rock Pavilion
Melbourne Music Show festival
[with The Go-Betweens, The Wreckery and Great Temptation]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ Hey Joe [Billy Roberts]/ Jack's Shadow/ Sad Waters/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ Knockin' On Joe/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ City Of Refuge/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Stranger Than Kindness.

Ad: Scan of ad, from The Age 12-Feb-88.

Note: Start of 8-date Australian tour. Melbourne Music Show festival ran from February 13 - 21.

20-Feb-88
AU Sydney-Coogee,Coogee Bay Hotel-Selina's
[with The Go-Betweens, The Wreckery and Box The Jesuit]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Train Long Suffering/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow/ Stranger Than Kindness/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ She Fell Away/ City Of Refuge.

Review 1: Scan of review from The Sydney Morning Herald 23-Feb-88.

Review 2: " ...though the 'old Nick' emerged towards the end [The Singer] when, during a 'touch the hands of the audience' crowd-contact moment, someone ripped his left sleeve completely off -at which Nick attempted to kick the offender in the face. One more hurried number and the band stormed off. Many people left in this tine, but twenty minutes later (a long time to change into another shirt, and no-one was really demanding an encore) the band re-emerged to do two rather messy songs, which nonetheless drove the front rows of punters to frantic levels of fury. An awesome performance from Cave and his band, and everyone I spoke to was going to at least one of the two remaining Sydney shows." from Bent Elvis Crucifix fanzine (early '89).(Source: fromthearchives.org)

23-Feb-88
AU Adelaide,Le Rox

Setlist: Hey Joe [Billy Roberts]/ From Her To Eternity/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Train Long Suffering/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow/ Stranger Than Kindness/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ She Fell Away/ New Morning.

Photo: Original photo print credit Robert B, collection FTA.

Ticket: Original ticket, collection FTA.

24-Feb-88
AU Adelaide,Le Rox
[with The Mad Turks and Truck]

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ From Her To Eternity/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ Sad Waters/ Jack's Shadow/ Stranger Than Kindness/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Hey Joe [Billy Roberts].

Photo: Original photo print credit Robert B, collection FTA.

Ticket: Original ticket, collection FTA.

Note: Truck (aka 'Raw Meat') were Lynton Cox, Tony Cohen, Kym Tonkes and one more.

26-Feb-88
AU Melbourne-St. Kilda,The Venue-Ballroom
[with The Wreckery, Died Pretty]

Setlist: Hey Joe [Billy Roberts]/ From Her To Eternity/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Train Long Suffering/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow/ Stranger Than Kindness/ Saint Huck/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ City Of Refuge/ New Morning/It Serves You Right To Suffer (?)

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

27-Feb-88
AU Melbourne-St. Kilda,The Venue-Ballroom
[with The Wreckery, Died Pretty]

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ From Her To Eternity/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ Sad Waters/ Jack's Shadow/ Stranger Than Kindness/ City Of Refuge/ Saint Huck/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ Knockin' On Joe/ She Fell Away/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb].

Handbill: Photo of handbill.

01-Mar-88
AU Sydney-City,Tivoli
[with Box The Jesuit and Lubricated Goat]

Listing: Scan of listing from The Sydney Morning Herald 26-Feb-88.

02-Mar-88
AU Sydney-City,Tivoli
[with Box The Jesuit and Lubricated Goat]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Train Long Suffering/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ She Fell Away/ Stranger Than Kindness/ Jack's Shadow/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ Saint Huck/ Hey Joe [Billy Roberts]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ New Morning/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels].

Article: Scan of article by Stuart Coupe from The Sydney Morning Herald 26-Feb-88.

08/14-Mar-88
AU Melbourne-Carlton,The Power Plant (@ 22-24 Little Cardigan Street). Final mixing sessions for the "Tender Prey" album and "The Mercy Seat" & "Deanna" singles. Ian Davis [The Ferrets] adds backing vocals to "Slowly Goes The Night". Engineered by Tony Cohen.

Note: "Nick and I were so sick that sessions at Record Plant Recordings (sic) were starting six hours late because we hadn't scored. [...] Tender Prey was the end of me for a while. I didn't want to be involved in music anymore - I'd lost interest. I took a long holiday. " from "Half Deaf, Complete Mad", a memoir by Tony Cohen with John Olson (2023).

16-Mar/Mar-88
[AU Melbourne-Elwood,small studio on Wimbledon Street: Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Blixa Bargeld & Anita Lane record the "Ghosts...of the Civil Dead" film soundtrack. Engineered by Ted Hamilton and Victor Van Vugt].

Apr-88
DE Berlin, Nick Cave is staying at Christoph Dreher's loft (@ Dresdenerstrasse 11), where the tension mounts due to Nick's drug taking/dealing which turns the place into a shooting gallery. Christoph Dreher's patience with his friend runs out. Christoph Dreher films "The Mercy Seat" promo music video.

Apr-88
Nick Cave leaves Berlin and relocates to the UK to a converted church in Vauxhall, later to Queensway and then to London.

07-Jun-88
UK Release of "The Mercy Seat/New Day (Morning)" single (7"/12") (Mute records).

Review 1: Original review from MM 11-Jun-88. "Single Of The Week".

Review 2: Original review from Sounds 11-Jun-88. "The best single this year so far".

Review 3: Original review from NME 11-Jun-88. "The best single this year".

Jun-88
UK London-Kings Cross,Worldwide International (Mute records) studios (@ Collier Street). Mixing of the "Sugar Sugar Sugar" track from the "Tender Prey" album. Engineered by Paul Kendall.

Note: Worldwide International is a small studio founded by Daniel Miller (Mute records).

Jul-88
UK Queensway. Nick Cave & Anita Lane live in a small flat paid by Mute. An argument ensues between Nick and Anita whereby Nick is stabbed in his face on his left cheek with a kitchen knife leaving a scar which is still (partially) visible to this day.

07-Jul-88
UK London,Bayswater

Photo: Photo shoot. Credit Bleddyn Butcher.

Note: The scar on Nick Cave's left cheek -administered by Anita Lane a few days earlier- still very fresh.

12-Jul-88
UK London-West End,Limelight nightclub
[with Dave Graney & The Coral Snakes]
(Secret gig billed as "Australia's Most Famous Post-Punk Legend".)

Setlist: Hey Joe [Billy Roberts]/ From Her To Eternity/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ City Of Refuge/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Jack's Shadow/ Sad Waters/ New Morning.

Photo: Credit Andrew T.

Note 1: Former Bad Seeds, Barry Adamson attended the concert. Being drunk and beligerent and attacking the bouncers, he was beaten up and thrown out, ending up in hospital. Original article from NME 23-Jul-88. Photo from Barry Adamson's memoir "Up Above the City, Down Beneath the Stars" (2021).

Note 2: First London concert since October 1986. Sound engineer Tony Cohen messed up the sound one time too many. It was to be his last time with the band for many years. Concert started at midnight.

Note 3: "[Tony Cohen] was also the most original and talented sound engineer I've ever heard, capable of creating huge, black, cavernous holes of sound for the band he worked with, both in the studio and when they played. [Tony Cohen] was one of the best, [...] he was constantly on the move: adding a little echo here; reverb there; changing the EQ or the volume level of a particular instrument; and generally playing the mixing desk as if he were an additional, but invisible, member of the band -which, in truth, he was. Unfortunately, he had fallen on hard times, and [...] he had just been temporarily tired by the band for being the most fucked-up, junked-out and wasted member of a group that was notorious for being fucked-up, junked-out and wasted. It was true that he had become prone to falling asleep at the mixing desk, and was either so stoned, or else so sick, that he eventually became incapable of doing his job properly; so it was no real surprise (except, perhaps, for [Tony]), when he and the band parted. [He left] with a one-way ticket to Melbourne, given to him by the band's record label, on the conditon that he never return." from "Junkie Love" an autobiographical novel by Phil Shöenfelt [Khmer Rouge, Fatal Shore, Southern Cross].

14-Jul-88
UK London-Kilburn,National Ballroom

Setlist: Hey Joe [Billy Roberts]/ Jack's Shadow/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ City Of Refuge/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ From Her To Eternity/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ She Fell Away/ New Morning.

Photo: Original photo print credit unknown, collection FTA.

Ad: Original advert from Sounds 02-Jul-88, collection FTA.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Review 1: Original review from NME 23-Jul-88, collection FTA.

Review 2: Xerox of review from MM 23-Jul-88.

Review 3: Original review from Sounds 23-Jul-88, collection FTA.

Note 1: Live sound, from now on, by Victor Van Vugt. Victor had mixed the band's live shows from 1984 through 1986.

Note 2: "Cave's live performances leading up to his drug bust [...], were a delirious pleasure to behold. I remember watching him fall out of space at Kilburn's National Ballroom in July '88 and thinking that I'd never seen him as lost as this. Cave and his Bad Seeds had clearly reached the end of something." Jon Wilde in his Nick Cave interview Melody Maker, 17-Mar-90.(Source: fromthearchives.org)

Note 3: "The final break [with Tony Cohen] came in London in mid July 1988. 'That was the first gig I didn't mix and Victor [Van Vugt] came in. I turned up, got to the door, didn't go in and went, Oh fuck it. It was just after that Nick came round to where I was staying at this squat with a girl smack dealer. He'd been coming round every day. Then I'd steal smack off her and stay at his place until it ran out and go back again. Nick and I were just sitting in this room together, stoned. Then after a while Nick sort of looked up at me and said, 'This is fucked.' I said, 'Ah, I'm sick of this.' He said, 'I'm going into a clinic', and I replied, 'I'm going back to Australia.' And that's what happened. I stayed on my folks farm for a few years drying out. That was one of the last times I saw Nick for a long time'." from "Life in a Padded Cell: A Biography of Tony Cohen", a book by Dale Blair.

In 1992 Tony Cohen would return to working with the Bad Seeds mixing their "Henry's Dream" album, followed by "Let Love In" (1994), "Murder Ballads" (1996) and "No More Shall We Part" (2001).

17-Jul-88
NL Utrecht,Tivoli
[with Victorian Trance]

Setlist: Hey Joe [Billy Roberts]/ City Of Refuge/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ The Mercy Seat/ Jack's Shadow/ Knockin' On Joe/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ From Her To Eternity/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Muddy Water [Phil Rosenthal/Johnny Cash]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Review 1: Scan of review from NRC Handelsblad 18-Jul-88. "The Bad Seeds have little talent, except for Thomas Wydler".

Review 2: Scan of review from De Volkskrant 20-Jul-88. "The interplay has improved, but The Bad Seeds still sound like a drunken band".

18-Jul-88
NL Amsterdam,Paradiso

Setlist: Hey Joe [Billy Roberts]/ City Of Refuge/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Stranger Than Kindness/ The Mercy Seat/ Jack's Shadow/ Knockin' On Joe/ From Her To Eternity/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ New Morning.

Poster: Photo of screen printed poster, designed by British designer Martin Kaye. In 1989, he was murdered in his home during a robbery. He was only 57 years old.

Photo: Photo credit Jan Willem Steenmeier, accompanying an interview in Provoke magazine October 1988.

20-Jul-88
DE Hamburg,Grosse Freiheit 36

Setlist: Hey Joe [Billy Roberts]/ City Of Refuge/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Stranger Than Kindness/ The Mercy Seat/ Jack's Shadow/ Knockin' On Joe/ From Her To Eternity/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ New Morning.

Ticket: Scan of ticket, courtesy of Ticket Collector.

Note: That day NME journalist Jack Barron is assaulted by Nick Cave when Barron incessantly questions him about his drug use and plans to go in rehab (which Cave had asked to keep secret until it was over), for his article "The needle and the damage done" (published in NME's 13-Aug-88 issue). The interview was conducted over a period of 3 days (Utrecht, Amsterdam, Hamburg). The article received a lot of backlash when readers, like Jon Savage, voiced their outrage at the lack of ethics of Jack Barron on the letters page of the 27-Aug-88 issue.

01-Aug-88
UK London,Great Marlborough Street Magistrates Court,Nick Cave pleads guilty of heroin possession and agrees upon a treatment, which he already had planned to start earlier in the year. He is given a conditional discharge for 18 months.

03-Aug-88
UK London,Mute offices (@ 429 Harrow Road),Mick Harvey shoots the "Deanna" promo music video clip.

Note: Mick Harvey used a Super-8 camera and filmed all band members in front of a white wall. Blixa Bargeld, was filmed at home in Berlin.

04-Aug-88/22-Sep-88
UK Somerset,Weston-super-Mare,Broadway Lodge Clinic

Article 1: Original article from NME 13-Aug-88, collection FTA.

Article 2: Original article from MM 13-Aug-88, collection FTA.

Article 3: Scan of article from Melbourne's The Truth 03-Sep-88, which lifted all information from the NME 13-Aug-88.

Note 1: Nick Cave volontarily stays for seven weeks at the Broadway Lodge Clinic to receive treatment for his heroin addiction. Anita Lane only stays for a few weeks, and -jointly with Kid Congo- joins a Narcotics Anonymous programme. It would take Nick Cave 10 more years until he would manage to overcome his addictions, by several more treatments in rehab, with support from Narcotics/Alcoholics Anonymous, and especially with the help of his future wife Susie Bick.

Note 2: "From 1988 to '98, he rehabbed six times. "Not by choice," [Nick Cave] says. "One of them, I was dropped unconscious at the front door of the place by my manager [Rayner Jesson] and woke up to find myself there. He'd had enough. One in Jersey I did for four weeks maybe, then one in Bury St Edmunds that only lasted about... But none of them were my decision, they were all, 'If you don't do this... ' It's celebrity. You attract all sorts of fuckin' wackos who think it's in your interest to let them help you in life. You're often vulnerable to that stuff." ". Nick Cave interviewed by Phil Sutcliffe for Mojo magazine, March 2009.(Source: fromthearchives.org)

05-Sep-88
UK Release of the "Deanna/The Girl At The Bottom Of My Glass" 12" single (Mute records).

Review 1: Original review from NME 10-Sep-88. "People get upset because a journo asks CaveBaby about his drugs".

Review 2: Original review from Sounds 17-Sep-88. "About as close as ol' Nicko has come to throwaway pop since 'Release The Bats'".

15/2x-Sep-88
[EU Mick Harvey tours Europe with Crime and the City Solution].

17/23-Sep-88
[EU Blixa Bargeld tours Europe with Einstürzende Neubauten].

19-Sep-88
UK Release of the "Tender Prey" album (Mute records).

Review 1: Original review by Chris Roberts from MM 24-Sep-88. "Tender Prey is a circumstantial classic".

Review 2: Original review by Cathi Unsworth 24-Sep-88. "Tender Prey is Cave's most optimistic album to date".

Review 3: Original review by John Robb from Sounds Sep-88. "Tender Prey sees a cranked up band exploiting their very own individual niche".

Review 4: Original review by Sean O' Hagan from NME 24-Sep-88. "the ongoing reincarnation of Saint Nick remains one of contemporary pop's most intriguing rites of passage".

22-Sep-88
UK Nick leaves the Broadway Lodge Clinic on his birthday and is welcomed by Jessamy Calkin, Anita Lane and Kid Congo Powers. The latter two had requested the 34 year-old Englishman Rayner Jesson to become his and the Bad Seeds' manager. Rayner Jesson had worked for the English label Stiff Records in the ‘70s (with artists like Graham Parker and the Rumour, Madness and Lena Lovich) and had recently completed a similar rehabilitation programme as Nick Cave. He would take over much of the organisational responsibilities that Mick Harvey had been doing for all those years. He would stay with the band for almost 12 years, until 1999. Nick and Anita, stay @ Evan English' [Ghosts Of The Civil Dead] place in Clapham Junction, London.

26/27-Sep-88
DE Berlin, rehearsals for the upcoming European tour.

28-Sep-88
FI Helsinki,Tavastia Klubi

Setlist: Hey Joe [Billy Roberts]/ City Of Refuge/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Stranger Than Kindness/ The Mercy Seat/ Jack's Shadow/ Knockin' On Joe/ From Her To Eternity/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb].

Photo: Credit Riikka Pelo.

Ad:: Scan of advert from HS newspaper 28-Sep-88.

Review: Scan of review from HS newspaper 30-Sep-88.

Note: Start of the 19-date European tour. First time in Finland. Live sound by Victor van Vugt.

29-Sep-88
FI Helsinki,Tavastia Klubi

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ She Fell Away/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ Saint Huck/ Muddy Water [Phil Rosenthal/Johnny Cash]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ New Morning.

Photo: Credit Hannele K.

30-Sep-88
DK København,Alexandra

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ She Fell Away/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ New Morning.

Poster: Photo of poster.

03-Oct-88
DE Berlin,Tempodrom
[with Temple Fortune]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ She Fell Away/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ New Morning/ Saint Huck/ Stranger Than Kindness/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker].

Ticket: Scan of ticket sourced from Rock In Berlin.

Photo: Photo credit Heinrich Brigani/Imago-images.

Ad: Scan of advert from Tip magazine 21/88.

04-Oct-88
DE Düsseldorf,Tor 3

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ She Fell Away/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Hey Joe [Billy Roberts]/ New Morning.

Photo: Original photo print credit unknown, collection FTA.

Ticket: Xerox of ticket

05-Oct-88
DE Frankfurt,Volksbildingsheim

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ City Of Refuge/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ The Mercy Seat/ Mercy/ Jack's Shadow/ Knockin' On Joe/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Sad Waters.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Photo: Original photo credit unknown, collection FTA.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

09-Oct-88
DE München-Unterföhring,Theaterfabrik

Ad: Scan of ad from Spex 10/88.

10-Oct-88
AT Wien,Kurhalle Oberlaa

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ Hey Joe [Billy Roberts]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels](*)/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb](*)/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ New Morning (*).

Poster: Original tour poster, collection FTA.

Note: Tracks (*) broadcast by ORF Radio (Music Box) on 25-Dec-90 and later released on the "Stranger Than Kindness" bootleg CD.

12-Oct-88
CH Genève,Palladium
[with Jungle Concrete]

Article: Scan of article from La tribune de Genève 11-Oct-88.

Review 1: Scan of review from Journal de Genève 14-Oct-88.

Review 2: Scan of review from La tribune de Genève 14-Oct-88.

13-Oct-88
CH Zürich,Rote Fabrik
[with Jingo De Lunch]

Poster: Photo of poster, sourced from Museum of Design Zurich.

Listing: Scan of listing from Neue Zürcher Zeitung 07-Oct-88.

Review: Scan of review from Bieler Tagblatt 20-Oct-88.

15-Oct-88
ES Valencia,Arena Auditorium

Setlist: City Of Refuge/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Hey Joe [Billy Roberts]/ Deanna/ Knockin' On Joe/ From Her To Eternity/ Jack's Shadow/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ Sad Waters/ She Fell Away/ New Morning.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

16-Oct-88
ES Barcelona,Zeleste

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ She Fell Away/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ Hey Joe [Billy Roberts].

Poster: Photo of poster.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

18-Oct-88
NL Utrecht,Muziekcentrum Vredenburg
[with Spasmodique and The Riff]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ She Fell Away/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ Sad Waters/ Saint Huck/ New Morning.

Ad: Scan of ad from De Volkskrant 13-Oct-88.

Handbill: Photo of handbill.

Note: First 11 tracks broadcast live-to-air by Dutch VARA FM radio and also released on the "Long Time Man" bootleg CD.

19-Oct-88
BE Deinze,Brielpoort
[with Siglo XX]

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ City Of Refuge/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Sad Waters/ Deanna/ Knockin' On Joe/ From Her To Eternity/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ Oh Happy Day/ Saint Huck/ New Morning.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Photo: Photo credit Jan Goedefroit/Getty Images.

Review 1: Scan of review from Het Nieuwsblad 21-Oct-88. "Junkie Nick Cave entertains 2000 fans."

Review 2: Scan of review from Het Volk 21-Oct-88. "Nick Cave: fierce excentricity."

Review 3: Scan of review from Het Belang Van Limburg 21-Oct-88. "Cave: the unbearable heaviness of being."

Review 4: Scan of review from De Morgen 21-Oct-88. "The act of remorse of Nick Cave."

Ticket: Original ticket, collection FTA.

21-Oct-88
FR Paris,Elysée Montmartre
[with The Go-Betweens]

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ City Of Refuge/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ She Fell Away/ Deanna/ Knockin' On Joe/ From Her To Eternity/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ New Morning.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Ticket: Photo of ticket

22-Oct-88
FR Rennes,Salle de la Cité
[with The Go-Betweens]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ She Fell Away/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ Sad Waters.

Ticket: Scan of ticket courtesy of Dominique.

25-Oct-88
UK Manchester,Ritz
[with World Domination Enterprises]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ She Fell Away/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ New Morning.

Ad: Scan of advert from Manchester Evening News 1-Nov-88.

26-Oct-88
UK London,Town & Country Club
[with World Domination Enterprises]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ She Fell Away/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ New Morning.

Review 1: Original review by Jack Barron (yes, that one!) from NME 05-Nov-88, collection FTA.

Review 2: Original review by Steve Sutherland from MM 13-Nov-88, collection FTA.

Photo: Original photo credit unknown, collection FTA.

27-Oct-88
UK London,Town & Country Club
[with Rollins Band and Band Of Susans]

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ City Of Refuge/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Sad Waters/ Deanna/ Knockin' On Joe/ From Her To Eternity/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels].

Ad: Original ad from NME 08-Oct-88, collection FTA.

Note: Last date of the 19-date tour. Susan Stenger [bass with Band Of Susans] would become part of Nick Cave's 'solo'-band (1999-2001).

2x-Nov/1x-Dec-88
[US Mick Harvey tours North America with Crime and the City Solution].

18/22-Nov-88
[NL Kid Congo Powers tours the Netherlands with the Gun Club].

Dec-88
NY New York City,-

Note: Nick Cave is in New York City for promo/interview sessions with the US press; Alternative Press, The Los Angeles Times, Reflex, Rockpool, Spin, ,...

16-Dec-88
PT Lisboa,Pavilhao Carlos Lopes
[with Mão Morta]

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ From Her To Eternity/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ Tupelo/ New Morning/ Saint Huck.

Ticket: Scan of ticket.

Photo: Photo credit Rui Vasco (@ ruivascophoto). Backstage a few minutes before they stepped on stage.

17-Dec-88
PT Porto,Teatro Rivoli
[with Mão Morta]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ Tupelo/ New Morning/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Saint Huck.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Dec-88
UK London-Kings Cross,Worldwide International (Mute records) studios (@ Collier Street). Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Kid Congo Powers & Bronwyn Adams [Crime and the City Solution] record "Helpless" for "The Bridge-Neil Young tribute" album. Engineered by Victor Van Vugt.

2x-Dec-88
BR São Paulo,-

Note: "In the meantime,the Bad Seeds are doing a handful of Chrismas dates in Brazil." from Sounds 24-Dec-88. The live concerts were re-scheduled to April 1989.

xx-Jan-89
US Release of the "Tender Prey" album (Mute/Enigma records).

Review 1: Scan of review from The Morning Call (PA) 04-Feb-89.

Review 2: Scan of review from The Post-Star (NY) 26-Feb-89.

Review 3: Scan of review from The Rocket (WA) 01-Mar-89.

Review 4: Scan of review from The Miami Herald (FL) 24-Mar-89.

23-Jan/02-Feb-89
[EU Thomas Wydler tours Europe with Die Haut].

07-Feb-89
US PA,Philadephia,Chesnut Cabaret
[with The Wolfgang Press]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ New Morning.

Review 1: Scan of review from The Philadelphia Inquirer 09-Feb-89.

Review 2: Scan of review from B-Side Apr/May 1989.

Note 1: Start of the 4th tour (18 dates) of North America. The band travels by bus, 5500+ miles. Victor Van Vugt is still their live sound engineer. Support band The Wolfgang Press are a UK trio who had just released their "Bird Wood Cage" album (4AD records), engineered by Lincoln Fong (who also did The Gun Club's "Mother Juno" album, and produced by Bad Seeds' engineer Flood, aka Mark Ellis).

Note 2: The tour was documented by Berlin Film Academy student, Uli M. Schüppel for his film "The Road To God Knows Where". Uli was armed with just only one 16mm-camera, no lighting and an assistant with a cassette machine.

08-Feb-89
US DC,Washington,9:30 Club
[with The Wolfgang Press]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ New Morning.

Listing: Scan of listing from The Evening Sun 02-Feb-89.

09-Feb-89
US DC,Washington,9:30 Club
[with The Wolfgang Press]

Listing: Scan of listing from The Evening Sun 09-Feb-89.

10-Feb-89
US NY,New York City,The Ritz (@119 East 11 St.)
[with The Wolfgang Press]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Jack's Shadow/ Sad Waters/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ Train Long Suffering/ New Morning.

Ticket: Original ticket, collection FTA.

11-Feb-89
US MA,Boston,The Channel Club
[with The Wolfgang Press and A Scanner Darkly]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ Massachusets [Bee Gees]/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Train Long Suffering/ New Morning.

Ad: Scan of ad from The Boston Phoenix 10-Feb-89.

Article: Scan of article from The Boston Phoenix 08-Feb-89.

Review: Scan of review from The Boston Globe 13-Feb-89.

13-Feb-89
CA PQ,Montréal,Rialto Théâtre
[with The Wolfgang Press]

Poster: Photo of poster, sourced from Montreal Concert Poster Archive.

Review: Scan of review from The Gazette 14-Feb-89. "The music, provided by the four-man (sic) Bad Seeds was unatractive, but captivating, like a car wreck."

Note: Moved from Les Foufonnes Electriques club to the larges capacity Rialto Theatre. 1,000 people attend.

14-Feb-89
CA ON,Toronto,RPM Club
[with Wolfgang Press]

Setlist: City Of Refuge/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Deanna/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ Jack's Shadow/ Sad Waters/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ From Her To Eternity/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Train Long Suffering/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ New Morning.

Ad: Scan of ad from The Toronto Star 12-Feb-89.

Photo: Photos by Rick McGinnis.

Video: The Road to God Knows Where by Uli M Schueppel.

16-Feb-89
US OH,Columbus,Alrosa Villa
[with The Wolfgang Press]

Setlist: amongst others "Nick The Stripper" and "Blue Suede Shoes".

Ad: Scan of ad from Alternative Press Feb-89.

17-Feb-89
US MI,Detroit,St.Andrews Hall
[with The Wolfgang Press]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Train Long Suffering/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ New Morning.

Listing: Scan of listing from Jackson Citizen Patriot 16-Feb-89.

18-Feb-89
US IL,Chicago,Cabaret Metro
[with The Wolfgang Press]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Train Long Suffering/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ New Morning.

Listing: Scan of listing from Chicago Tribune 17-Feb-89.

Article: Scan of article from Chicago Tribune 17-Feb-89..

20-Feb-89
US MN,Minneapolis,First Avenue-Main room
[with The Wolfgang Press]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Train Long Suffering/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ Saint Huck/ New Morning.

Ad: Scan of ad from Twin City Reader 15-Feb-89, courtesy of Jay Kern.

23-Feb-89
CA BC,Vancouver,Town Pump
[with The Wolfgang Press]

Note: Cancelled, because it was impossible to make the drive from Minneapolis in time for the show. Wolfgang Press did play on their own.

24-Feb-89
US WA,Seattle,Moore Theater
[with The Wolfgang Press]

Handbill: Original handbill, collection FTA.

Ad: Scan of advert from The Rocket 01-Feb-89.

Ticket: Scan of ticket.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Review: Scan of review from MM 18-Mar-89.

25-Feb-89
US OR,Portland,Pine Street Theater
[with The Wolfgang Press]

Ad: Scan of ad from The Oregonian 24-Feb-89.

Photo: Screen capture from "The Road To God Knows Where", a documentary film by Uli M. Schüppel. In this scene, Blixa Bargeld is discussing with the club's owners about the inadequate PA they provided.

27-Feb-89
US CA,San Jose,The Oasis
[with The Wolfgang Press and Modern Music Savior]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Saint Huck/ New Morning.

Ad: Scan of ad from The San Francisco Examiner 26-Feb-89.

Flyer: Scan of flyer from KFJC, college radio station at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills.

Review: Scan of review from The Los Angeles Times 04-Mar-89.

28-Feb-89
US CA,San Francisco,The Fillmore
[with The Wolfgang Press]

Poster: Photo of poster.

Ticket: Scan of ticket.

01-Mar-89
US CA,San Francisco,The Fillmore
[with The Wolfgang Press and American Music Club]

Listing: Scan of listing from The San Francisco Examiner 01-Mar-89.

Note: Extra show, but cancelled because initial ticket sales were too low.

02-Mar-89
US CA,Long Beach,Bogart's
[with The Wolfgang Press]

Photo: Screen capture from "The Road To God Knows Where", a documentary film by Uli M. Schüppel.

Ad: Scan of advert from LA Weekly 24-Feb-89.

03-Mar-89
US CA,Los Angeles-Hollywood,Hotel room

Article: Scan from LA Weekly 24-Mar-89.

Photo: Screen capture from "The Road To God Knows Where", a documentary film by Uli M. Schüppel.

Note: Nick Cave interviewed by Pollyanne Hornbeck.

03-Mar-89
US CA,Los Angeles,CNN Building (@ 6430 West Sunset Blvd)

Photo: Screen capture from "The Road To God Knows Where", a documentary film by Uli M. Schüppel.

Note: Peter Wright (Mute Records, East Coast label manager) and Nick Cave at an interview for CNN Television.

03-Mar-89
US CA,Los Angeles-Santa Monica,Santa Monica College
KCRW-FM SNAP! session

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ 500 Miles [Hedy West/Peter, Paul and Mary]/ Ooh, I Love You Much Too Much (poem)/ Sunny [Bobby Hebb]/ Helpless [Neil Young]/ The Carny/ Sunny [Bobby Hebb].

Photo: Screen capture from "The Road To God Knows Where", a documentary film by Uli M. Schüppel.

Tracksheet: Scan of program #812, sourced from the KCRW archival project site.

Streaming: KCRW archival project.

Note 1: Hosted by Deirdre O'Donoghue. The show premiered on KCRW in 1982 and ran through 1991. Session (without Blixa) at the radio station, just before the concert at the Club With No Name. Nick Cave (vocals), Mick Harvey (acoustic guitar, backing vocals), Roland Wolf (Yamaha C5 piano), Kid Congo Powers (acoustic guitar, percussion) and Thomas Wydler (just tapping on his knees!)(Source: fromthearchives.org)

Note 2: Released on bootleg CD "Murderous Ends, Collaborative Odds" (1996).

03-Mar-89
US CA,Los Angeles-Hollywood,Park Plaza Hotel-Club With No Name (@ 607 S. Parkview)
[with The Wolfgang Press]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ 500 Miles [Hedy West/Peter, Paul and Mary]/ Train Long Suffering/ Saint Huck/ New Morning.

Photo: Original Photos 1 and Photos 2 credit Helen, collection FTA.

Note: Opening weekend of the Club With No Name, operating from two locations. During the week at the former location of the Scream club. In the weekend at the Park Plaza Hotel.

04-Mar-89
US CA,Los Angeles-Hollywood,Park Plaza Hotel-Club With No Name (@ 607 S. Parkview)
[with The Wolfgang Press]

Ad: Scan of ad from L.A. Rock Review 17-Feb-89.

Note 1: Last date of the North American tour.

Note 2: Opening weekend of the Club With No Name, operating from two locations. During the week at the former location of the Scream club. In the weekend at the Park Plaza Hotel.

Mar-89
UK London-Clapham Junction. Nick Cave and Anita Lane, together with Kid, stay @ Evan English' [Ghosts Of The Civil Dead] place in . It's at this place that Nick Cave wrote most of the songs on piano, that would become the next Bad Seeds album, "The Good Son".

13/20-Mar-89
[EU Thomas Wydler tours Europe with Die Haut].

27-Mar-89
DE Düsseldorf,Philipshalle
Noise Now! - Festival
[with The Gun Club, Sonic Youth, Anne Clark and Phillip Boa]

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ City Of Refuge/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Jack's Shadow/ Deanna/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ Saint Huck/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ From Her To Eternity/ Black Betty [Leadbelly].

Ad: Scan of ad from SPEX March 1989.

Ticket: Scan of ticket.

Note 1: All songs but "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" and "Black Betty" broadcast by German WDR1 FM-radio during the "Graffiti" program. "Saint Huck" released on "Stranger Than Kindness" and "Through The Black Holes Of Time" bootleg CDs.

Note 2: Kid plays 2 shows that night (which happened to be his 30th birthday). First with The Gun Club, then with The Bad Seeds.

07-Apr-89
FR Lyon-Vénissieux,Le Truc[k]

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ City Of Refuge(*)/ Your Funeral...My Trial(*)/ Deanna(*)/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose](*)/ Jack's Shadow(*)/ Mercy(*)/ The Mercy Seat(*)/ Knockin' On Joe(*)/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ From Her To Eternity/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Train Long Suffering/ New Morning/ Saint Huck.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Note: This show was recorded for ZAP FM by Jean Olivier Païssé. Songs(*) broadcast. Warm-up show for the Brazilian tour.

08-Apr-89
FR Bourges,Stadium
Le Printemps de Bourges festival
[with The Pogues]

Setlist: Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ and more...

Program: Scan of program booklet.

Note: Warm-up show for the Brazilian tour. The stadium had a capacity of 10,000 people.

12-Apr-89
BR Rio de Janeiro,Scala do Rio

Article: Scan of article announcing the 3 shows in Brazil.

Note: First time in Brazil. Nick Cave was welcomed like a star.

14-Apr-89
BR São Paulo-Barra Funda,Projeto SP

Photo: Credit Luis Antonio Costa. Likely taken at the soundcheck.

Note 1: During the concert Nick spots Viviane Carneiro in the audience. Viviane at the time worked as a fashion producer at the Abril publishing house.

Note 2: "I was a Nick Cave fan and I bought the ticket [for the show at Projeto SP] as soon as they went on sale. At that time, [Viviane] and I were fighting, and I went to Projeto SP alone. Then the show starts, and who's in the front row, blowing kisses and shouting 'Nick, I love you!'? My girlfriend! I was furious! To make matters worse, Nick Cave spent the whole show looking at her and singing to her. The show ended, I was devastated, and I went to get drunk. [...] Then, a friend came and said: 'Gil, I don't know if I should tell you, but it seems like something's going on between [Viviane] and Nick Cave. I was completely drunk, and I did what every drunk does: I went to her house to demand an explanation. She lived in a house in Vila Madalena. I arrived at the door, rang the doorbell, yelled, made a scene, and nobody said a word. Only the dog answered, the one [Viviane] and I had raised together. That day, even the damned dog tried to attack me, can you believe it? Me, who had taken care of him with so much affection. I kept ringing the doorbell and, suddenly, who appears at the door? Nick Cave. I started cursing the guy, saying a bunch of swear words: 'You son of a bitch, I'm going to kill you!', that kind of thing. The house was kind of high up, the entrance was above street level, and Nick came closer to me, but still kept his distance. I was furious and, to this day I don't know why, I took off my shoe and threw it at his face. The shoe hit a corner and fell onto the balcony. Nick went back inside the house and I limped to the car. I got home furious. The first thing I did was smash all my Nick Cave records." Recollections by (poet/restaurant owner) Gil Jorge.(Source: fromthearchives.org)

15-Apr-89
BR São Paulo-Barra Funda,Projeto SP

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ Deanna/ City Of Refuge/ The Mercy Seat/ 500 Miles [Hedy West/Peter, Paul and Mary]/ Jack's Shadow/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Train Long Suffering/ Muddy Water [Phil Rosenthal/Johnny Cash]/ Saint Huck/ New Morning/ and more...

Photo: Credit Michele Mifano. Taken at the Praça da República, the day of the show.

Review: Original review from Contracorrente #19, 1989, collection FTA.

Video: TV Broadcast.

Note: All above songs were broadcast by Brazilian TV Cultura.

Apr-89
BR Paraty. Nick Cave stays with Viviane for the rest of April.

20/26-Apr-89
[NL/DE Mick Harvey tours Europe with Crime and the City Solution].

03-May-89
GR Athina,Rodon

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ City Of Refuge/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Jack's Shadow/ 500 Miles [Hedy West/Peter, Paul and Mary]/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ From Her To Eternity/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ Train Long Suffering/ New Morning.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Note: Start of 7-date south European tour. First of 3 nights at the Rodon club.

04-May-89
GR Athina,Rodon

Setlist: Your Funeral...My Trial/ Train Long Suffering/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Jack's Shadow/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ 500 Miles [Hedy West/Peter, Paul and Mary]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ Saint Huck/ New Morning/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ ... and more.

Photo: Screen capture from TV broadcast.

Note: Above tracks filmed and broadcast by Greek TV.

05-May-89
GR Athina,Rodon

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ She Fell Away/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Muddy Water [Phil Rosenthal/Johnny Cash]/ Train Long Suffering/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ 500 Miles [Hedy West/Peter, Paul and Mary]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ New Morning.

Photo: Credit unknown.

07-May-89
IT Modena-Castelvetro,Albert Hall

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ Deanna/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Train Long Suffering/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ 500 Miles [Hedy West/Peter, Paul and Mary]/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ New Morning.

Contract: Excerpt from the contract with Paolo Bedini (AZ Music) for the 3 Italian dates, shared by Paolo Bedini on his Facebook. Venue capacity 1,000 people. Fee GBP 6400.

08-May-89
IT Roma,Teatro Tendastrisce

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ Deanna/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Train Long Suffering/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ 500 Miles [Hedy West/Peter, Paul and Mary]/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed].

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Note: Venue capacity 1,800 people. Fee GBP 9600.

09-May-89
IT Milano,Rolling Stone

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ Deanna/ Mercy/ Jack's Shadow/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ 500 Miles [Hedy West/Peter, Paul and Mary]/ The Mercy Seat/ Knockin' On Joe/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ City Of Refuge/ Saint Huck/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Train Long Suffering/ New Morning/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels].

Note: Last date of tour. Venue capacity 2,000 people. Fee GBP 8600.

May-89
DE Berlin,Hansa Ton Studios (@ Köthener Strasse 38). Recording an acoustic version of "The Mercy Seat". Engineered by Victor Van Vugt. Mixing engineered by Gareth Jones. The song ended up on a bonus 7" single/CD with initial copies of "The Good Son" LP/CD album(Mute UK/DE, 1990).

17-May/18-Jun-89
[EU Mick Harvey tours Europe with Crime and the City Solution].

20-May-89
UK Release of the "Ghosts...of the Civil Dead" soundtrack album on Mute records.

24-Jun-89
JP Tokyo-Shibuya,Club Quattro

Setlist: I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ City Of Refuge/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan]/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Sand/ Sugar Sugar Sugar/ Knockin' On Joe/ From Her To Eternity/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Train Long Suffering/ New Morning.

Note: Second Japanese tour. Start of 6-date tour of Japan. "Sand" [Lee Hazlewood] is as song Neubauten has on their set list. This is the first and only time the Bad Seeds performed it (with Blixa on vocals).

25-Jun-89
JP Tokyo-Shibuya,Club Quattro

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ Your Funeral...My Trial/ Deanna/ Jack's Shadow/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ Train Long Suffering/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ Sugar Sugar Sugar.

26-Jun-89
JP Tokyo-Shibuya,Club Quattro

Photo: Credit Masataka Ishida. Nick Cave in dressing room, interviewed -just before the show- by Masataka Ishida for Music Magazine.

27-Jun-89
JP Tokyo-Shibuya,Club Quattro
(1st show)

27-Jun-89
JP Tokyo-Shibuya,Club Quattro
(2nd show)

Review: Scan of review from Fool's Mate Sep-89,with photo by Kato Tadashi.

28-Jun-89
JP Osaka-Shinsaibashi,Muse Hall

Review: Scan from Music Magazine, Aug-89. Photo by Masataka Ishida.

Note: Last date of the Japan tour.

01-Jul-89
BE Torhout,Open Air Festival
[with Texas, The Pixies, Robert Cray, Elvis Costello, R.E.M., Joe Jackson and Lou Reed]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Deanna/ 500 Miles [Hedy West/Peter, Paul and Mary]/ Jack's Shadow/ Train Long Suffering/ Mercy/ The Mercy Seat/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ City Of Refuge/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb]/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan].

Ad: Original ad from Belgian newspaper June 1989, collection FTA.

Review 1: Original review from Sounds xx-Jul-89, collection FTA.

Review 2: Original reviews from Belgian newspapers 03-Jul-89, collection FTA.

Note: Open air festival organised from 1977-1998 at two locations in Belgium, just 130kms apart. The same bands performed on each day. Since 1999 only Rock Werchter is still active.

02-Jul-89
BE Werchter,Open Air Festival
[with Texas, The Pixies, Robert Cray, Elvis Costello, R.E.M., Joe Jackson and Lou Reed]

Setlist: City Of Refuge(+)/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Deanna/ 500 Miles [Hedy West/Peter, Paul and Mary](*)(+)/ Jack's Shadow/ Train Long Suffering/ Mercy(+)/ The Mercy Seat/ Black Betty [Leadbelly](+)/ From Her To Eternity(*)(+)/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb](+)/ Wanted Man [Bob Dylan].

Photo: Photo credit Gie Knaeps (via Getty Images).

Video: TV broadcast.

Review 1: Original review from Het Volk 03-Jul-89, collection FTA.

Review 2: Original review from De Morgen 03-Jul-89, collection FTA.

Note: Most songs broadcast by Belgian BRT FM radio. Songs (*) broadcast by Belgian BRT TV in 1989. Songs (+) broadcast by Dutch NPO2 TV/NTR "In concert" Series on 30-Aug-24, the day of the "Wild God" album release.

Jul-89
DE Berlin, two weeks of demoing for "The Good Son" album on 24-track tapes. Some of the songs recorded later in the year in Brazil, were literally layered on these demos. Roland Wolf's piano piece for "Lucy" was kept in the final version (reprise section) of the song.

Jul-89
Roland Wolf leaves the Bad Seeds.

Note 1: "We tried working with Roland [Wolf] in Berlin but there were so many problems with his attitude. It just didn't fit together. Wolf was unwilling to change his own fixed ideas about the music being presented to him and argued incessantly with Cave, who asked Wolf to stick to his conception of how he wanted his songs to be played. Wolf had also taken to shaving his head, which offended Cave's aesthetic sensibilities to such an extent that he would demand that Wolf wore a hat when in his presence. The whole situation led to an impasse to which there could only be one solution: Roland Wolf would not be accompanying the band to the studio [in Brazil] and would leave The Bad Seeds." Mick Harvey, from "Bad Seed", a biography by Ian Johnston (1995).

Note 2: Roland Wolf would roadie (1989-1991) for Einstürzende Neubauten and play on their "Tabula Rasa" (1992) and "Ende Neu" (1994) albums. In 1992 Roland would join the Jever Mountain Boys, with Alexander Hacke and Jochen Arbeit [both Einstürzende Neubauten]. They basically only played live in Berlin bars, recorded (1993) and released one (all covers) album, "Bury The Bottle With Me" (1994). Roland (at the time boyfriend of Danielle de Picciotto) died in a car accident in the morning of 26-Mar-95, he was just 29 years old.

Jul-89
UK Release of "The Bridge-Neil Young tribute" album (on Caroline), featuring Nick Cave's version of "Helpless".

16/23-Jul-89
[US Kid Congo Powers tours California USA, with the Gun Club.]

Aug-89
[US Thomas Wydler records the "Die Hard" album with Die Haut in New York City].

25-Aug/07-Sep-89
[UK Nick Cave is on a book reading/signing tour].

05-Sep/12-Oct-89
[EU Blixa Bargeld tours Europe with Einstürzende Neubauten].

16/23-Sep-89
[US Kid Congo Powers tours the East Coast USA with the Gun Club. At the end of the tour Kid returns to living in Los Angeles-Hollywood (at Ron Athey's place), while the rest of the Gun Club returns to London. Kid takes a job in telemarketing (selling time-share vacation homes in Florida), finds a twelve-step community in Hollywood and waits until the Bad Seeds call him back to record "The Good Son" album in Brazil in October 1989.]

Sep-89
[BR Nick Cave returns to Viviane Carneiro in São Paulo.]

08-Oct-89/28-Oct-89
BR São Paulo,Estúdios Cardan/Cardan Studios (Rua Alves Guimarães 1103). Recording sessions for "The Good Son" album, "The Ship Song" and The Weeping Song" singles. Blixa, who was touring with Neubauten, arrived a week later. Engineered by Victor Van Vugt.

Note 1: The 24-track tapes from the demo session in Berlin formed the starting point. Some songs were literally layered upon those demos. Guest musicians were eight players from the string section of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra and two singers. Cardan Studios was largely used as an advertising studio. The best recording studios at the time were in Rio de Janeiro.

Note 2: "Nick had fallen in love with Brazil, as well as falling in love with Vivi Carneiro. He wanted to record the new album there. Everything about the sessions for 'The Good Son' was so much lighter than 'Tender Prey' -the scene, the atmosphere, the whole environment around us. For a start, we weren't in Berlin, on heroin, and the 'Berlin 500' [Berlin hangers-on] were ten thousand miles away. [...] The sessions were disciplined. Nick Cave was laser-focused. [...] It was a revelation to me that you could go into a recording studio, not be stoned or drunk, and still be creative." from "Some New Kind of Kick: A Memoir", book by Kid Congo Powers (2022).

Nov-89
DE Berlin-Kreuzberg,Tritonus Ton Studio (@ Schlesische Strasse 31). Overdubbing (piano and some vocals) and mixing sessions. "Foi Na Cruz", "The Good Son", "The Weeping Song", "The Witness Song" and "Lucy" for "The Good Son" album and "The Train Song" single. Engineered by Flood (Mark Ellis), with Shannon Strong (a.k.a. Bambi Lee Savage).

Note : While the band were working on the album, the Berlin Wall came down on November 9, 1989. "A darkness had descended on the group, collectively and individually, during the recording of 'Tender Prey' two years earlier. 'The Good Son' was an album full of light and hope, even joy, reflecting both Nick's sobriety and his new relationship with Vivi. Almost the antithesis of the dark, brooding nihilism of 'Tender Prey'. The sudden wave of optimism in Berlin seemed to reflect that also. It was the first time I had been there clean too. It was incredible to see Berlin in a whole different light and appreciate the relentless creativity and lust for life in the city, without the overwhelming anxiety hanging over me about having to find and obtain drugs. When I left, I felt as if I was able to close a chapter on my life, without carrying the pain back home [in Los Angeles] with me." from "Some New Kind of Kick: A Memoir", book by Kid Congo Powers (2022).

Nov-89
[DE Mick Harvey records the "Paradise Discotheque" album with Crime and the City Solution].

04/11-Dec-89
[EU Blixa Bargeld tours Europe with Einstürzende Neubauten].

Dec-89
DE Berlin-Kreuzberg,Tritonus Ton Studio (@ Schlesische Strasse 31). Overdubbing and mixing sessions of "Sorrow's Child", "The Ship Song", "The Hammer Song" & "Lament" for "The Good Son" album. Engineered by Gareth Jones.

Dec-89/Jan-90
US New York-Manhattan,East Village
Anthology Film Archives (@ 32-34 Second Avenue)

Note: Three weeks-screening of Peter Sempel's "Dandy" film, starring a.o. Nick Cave and Blixa Bargeld. Nick Cave, Mick Harvey and Blixa Bargeld attend one screening.

08-Jan-90
US NY,New York-Manhattan,Fun City Studios. Nick Cave and Mick Harvey record acoustic versions of "City Of Refuge" and "Deanna". Engineered by Wharton Tiers. The songs ended up on a bonus 7" single/CD with initial copies of "The Good Son" LP/CD album (Mute records UK/DE, 1990).

xx-Jan-90
US NY,New York City, John Hillcoat ["Ghosts Of The Civil Dead"] directs "The Ship Song" promo music video.

Photo: Credit Eileen Polk (via Getty Images).

22-Jan-90
US NY,New York City,Chelsea Television Studios
NBC TV - Night Music -TV show Season 2 -Episode #13

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ Hey Joe [Billy Roberts].

Photo: Screen capture from TV show.

Article: Scan of article from Spin magazine April 1990.

Line-up 1 ("Mercy Seat"): Nick Cave (vocals), Mick Harvey (acoustic guitar,backing vocals) accompanied by Tom Barney (upright bass), Philippe Saisse (keyboards) and Don Alias (percussion).

Video 1: TV broadcast "Mercy Seat".

Line-up 2 ("Hey Joe"): Nick Cave (vocals), Mick Harvey (acoustic guitar) with Toots Thielemans (harmonica) and Charlie Haden (double bass), accompanied by David Sanborn (soprano saxophone), Hiram Bullock (guitar), Philippe Saisse (keyboards), Don Alias (percussion) and Omar Hakim (percussion).

Video 2: TV broadcast "Hey Joe".

Note 1: First broadcast date, recorded earlier in the month. Rerun on 28-Jan-90.

Note 2: This Sunday late-night television show aired for two seasons between 1988-1990 and was produced by Hal Willner and hosted by saxophonist David Sanborn and sometimes Jools Holland. Nick Cave and Hal Willner would later work on the "September Songs" (tribute to Kurt Weill) album/film (1994), the live tribute shows to Harry Smith's Anthology (London 02-Jul-99 and Brooklyn 11/12-Nov-99) and Leonard Cohen ("Came So Far For Beauty": Brooklyn 28-Jun-03/ Brighton 22-May-04/ Sydney 29-Jan-05), and Hal Willner would produce the 3 songs Nick Cave wrote for Marianne Faithfull's "Before The Poison" album (Oct-03).

January/March 1990
[BR São Paulo. Nick Cave returns to Viviane Carneiro].

12-Mar-90
UK Release of "The Ship Song/The Train Song" single (Mute records).

14-Mar-90
NL Amsterdam,Torch Art gallery

Setlist: Foi Na Cruz/ The Weeping Song.

Note: Acoustic session for 'Onrust' program on Dutch VPRO TV. Broadcast on Sunday 08-Apr-90. Nick Cave and Mick Harvey only.

14-Mar-90
NL Hilversum,Radio 3 - VARA FM radio
2 Meter Sessie

Setlist: Sad Waters/ City Of Refuge/ The Good Son/ The Mercy Seat.

Photo: Credit VARA.

Note: Acoustic session for Dutch radio. Engineered by Barry Kamer. Presented by Jan Douwe Kroeske. Broadcast on 25-Mar-90. Nick Cave and Mick Harvey only.(Source: fromthearchives.org)

14-Mar-90
NL Hilversum,Villa Keizerstoren/Villa 65
Radio 3 - VPRO FM radio
Nozems A Go Go

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Ship Song.

Note: Acoustic session for Dutch radio. Presented by Fons Dellen and Lotje IJzermans. Nick Cave and Mick Harvey only.

23-Mar/14-Apr-90
[DE/AT Thomas Wydler tours Germany and Austria with Die Haut].

26-Mar/01-Apr-90
[EU Blixa Bargeld tours Europe with Einstürzende Neubauten].

01-Apr-90
DE Berlin,Neue Welt
(Einstürzende Neubauten 10th anniversary show)

Setlist: The Weeping Song/ The Ship Song.

Poster: Photo of poster courtesy of Dennis.

Ticket: Scan of ticket courtesy of Sam and Marion.

Note: Above songs performed by Nick Cave, Blixa Bargeld, Hugo Race, Bronwyn Adams, members of Crime and the City Solution and Miranda Sex Garden.

16-Apr-90
UK Release of "The Good Son" album (Mute records).

Review 1: Original review by Chris Roberts for MM 14-Apr-90. "This is a poor album from a man rich with individuality".

Review 2: Original review by David Cavangh for Sounds 14-Apr-90. "Whatever; this is a masterpiece".

Review 3: Original review by Simon Williams for NME 14-Apr-90. "The orchestrations are lush. The songs are immaculately crafted, forever sympathetic to Cave's newly-realised vocal capabilities".

May-90
DE Berlin-Kreuzberg,Tritonus Ton Studio (@ Schlesische Strasse 31). Remixing "The Weeping Song" for the single version. Engineered by Gareth Jones.

03/12-May-90
[DE Thomas Wydler tours Germany with Die Haut].

May-90
Kid Congo Powers leaves the band (due to his increasing commitments to The Gun Club, and to focus on his new band with Sally Norvell, Congo Norvell). Australian Conway Savage [then member of Dave Graney's White Buffaloes] joins on keyboards and Australian Martyn P. Casey [ex- The Triffids, who had disbanded in Australia in August 1989] joins on bass. Mick Harvey moves back to guitar.

13-May-90
DE Coesfeld,Fabrik -Disco/Cafe

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ The Good Son/ Deanna/ The Weeping Song/ The Witness Song/ Knockin' On Joe/ Tupelo/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Mercy Seat/ The Ship Song/ City Of Refuge/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ The Carny/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb].

Ad: Original ad from SPEX May-90, collection FTA.

Ticket: Scan of ticket.

Note: Start of 13-date European tour. Warm-up show. Victor Van Vugt is still their live sound engineer.

15-May-90
SE Malmö,Kulturbolaget/KB
[with Easy]

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Good Son/ The Weeping Song/ The Witness Song/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ Foi Na Cruz/ The Carny/ From Her To Eternity/ The Ship Song/ Deanna/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Tupelo/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix [Jim Webb].

16-May-90
SE Göteborg,XL Diskotek
[with Easy]

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Good Son/ The Weeping Song(*)/ The Witness Song(*)/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Ship Song/ The Carny/ From Her To Eternity(*)/ Deanna/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly](*)/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker](*)/ Tupelo(*).

Ticket: Original ticket, collection FTA.

Review: Original review from NME 02-Jun-90, collection FTA.

Note: Songs (*) broadcast by Swedish radio.

18-May-90
DK København,Saga

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Good Son/ The Weeping Song/ The Witness Song/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Ship Song/ The Carny/ From Her To Eternity/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Tupelo.

Ticket: Scan of ticket.

19-May-90
DE Hamburg,Stadtpark/City park
Freilichtbuhne-Open air

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Good Son/ The Weeping Song/ The Witness Song/ Knockin' On Joe/ City Of Refuge/ The Ship Song/ The Carny/ From Her To Eternity/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels].

Photo: Credit Ullstein Bild (via Getty Images).

20-May-90
DE Berlin-Tiergarten,Tempodrom-Circus tent

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Deanna/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Knockin' On Joe/ Tupelo/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels].

Ticket: Scan of ticket.

Review: Scan of review from ME Sounds July 1990 (sourced from rockinberlin.de).

Recollections: Recollections by Thaddeus Herrmann at Das Filter.

Note: About 3000 in attendance.

20-May-90
DE Berlin-Schöneberg,Café Swing (@ Nollendorfplatz 3/4)

Note: Aftershow Party/concert announced in the local magazines as "Nikolaus Höhle und die schlechten Samen" ("Nicholas Cave and the Bad Seeds" in German language). Café Swing opened in September, 1982, and was located opposite the Metropol club. It served as an action space of the Berlin avant-garde scene, where numerous artists made their public debuts, mostly free of charge, until its closure in 2002. Before that, it was called Café Central.

21-May-90
DE Frankfurt,Volksbildungsheim
[with Once Upon A Time]

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Deanna/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Knockin' On Joe/ Tupelo.

Poster: Original German tour poster, collection FTA.

Note: Moved from the smaller Stadthalle in nearby Offenbach. Once Upon A Time, were formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1985. Core members Bruno Adams [brother of Bronwyn from Crime and the City Solution] and Chris Hughes [also Hugo Race's True Spirit] move to Berlin, Germany late 1989. With the help of Mick Harvey and Tony Cohen they record their debut album in Berlin.

22-May-90
DE Oberhausen,Music Circus Ruhr
[with Once Upon A Time]

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ Deanna/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo.

Ticket: Scan of ticket.

Note: Earlier in the day, Nick Cave has a reading from "And the Ass Saw The Angel" at the Alte Post in nearby Mülheim an der Ruhr.

24-May-90
BE Deinze,Brielpoort
[with Once Upon A Time and The Del Fuegos]

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Knockin' On Joe/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo.

Poster 1: Original poster, collection FTA.

Poster 2: Photo of poster.

Ticket: Original ticket , collection FTA.

Review 1: Original review from De Standaard 26-May-90, collection FTA.

Review 2: Original review from review from De Morgen 26-May-90, collection FTA.

Note: About 3,000 in attendance.

25-May-90
FR Paris,Olympia
[with Hugo Race & The True Spirit]

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo/ Knockin' On Joe.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

26-May-90
FR Lyon,Le Transbordeur
[with Hugo Race & The True Spirit]

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

27-May-90
FR Nancy,Chapiteau de la Pépinière
[with Hugo Race & The True Spirit]

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo.

Ticket: Xerox of ticket.

28/29-May-90
[DE Blixa Bargeld tours Germany with Einstürzende Neubauten].

30-May-90
UK Glasgow,Pavilion Theatre

Ticket: Scan of ticket.

Note: Concert rescheduled to 21-Aug-90.

31-May-90
UK Leeds,Polytechnic

Note: Concert cancelled.

01-Jun-90
UK London-Brixton,The Academy
[with Hugo Race & The True Spirit and Phil Shoenfelt]

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo/ Knockin' On Joe/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional].

Review: Original review by Chris Roberts from Melody Maker 06-Jun-90. "Cave was absolutely untouchably stellar [...] Nick Cave is reborn".

Ad: Original advert from Sounds 12-May-90, collection FTA.

Ticket: Scan of ticket.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Note: Bronwyn Adams [Crime and the City Solution] vocals on "The Weeping Song" and Kid Congo Powers [Gun Club/Bad Seeds] guitar on the final two songs.

04-Jun-90
NL Landgraaf,Draf- en renbaanbaan Limburg
Pinkpop Open Air Festival #21
[with The Mission, Van Morrison, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Texas, The Black Crowes, and more..]

Setlist: Black Betty(*)/ The Witness Song(*)/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker](*)/ The Weeping Song(*)/ The Carny/ The Mercy Seat/ Deanna/ The Ship Song/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity.

Ad: Scan of ad from Dutch newspaper.

Ticket: Original ticket, collection FTA.

Video: Video broadcast by Russian TV.

Photo: Great photos by Gie Knaeps of the Bad Seeds backstage playing football,in their suits!

Note: 42,500 people attended. Tracks (*) broadcast by Dutch VPRO FM radio broadcast on June 20, 1998 at the "Muziek Terwijl U Slaapt" program. Nick Cave had some problems with his microphones and Blixa Bargeld with his amp.

05-Jun-90
DE Bonn,Biskuithalle

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo/ Lament/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional].

Ad: Original ad from MM Aug-90, collection FTA.

07-Jun-90
CH Zürich,Volkshaus

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional].

Review 1: Scan of review from Bieler Tagblatt, 12-Jun-90.

Review 2: Scan of review from Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 12-Jun-90.

08-Jun-90
DE München,Circus Krone Bau

Setlist: The Mercy Seat(*)/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song(*)/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna(*)/ The Carny(*)/ The Ship Song(*)/ The Good Son(*)/ City Of Refuge(*)/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly](*)/ Tupelo(*)/ Lament/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional](*).

Photo 1: Original photo print, credit unknown, collection FTA.

Photo 2: Original photo print, credit unknown, collection FTA.

Ad: Original advert from Zillo June 1990, collection FTA.

Note: Bronwyn Adams [Crime and the City Solution] vocals on "Lament". Tracks (*) broadcast by German FM radio.

09-Jun-90
AT Wien,CA-Zelt
[with Once Upon A Time]

Setlist: The Mercy Seat(*)/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz(*)/ Deanna/ The Carny(*)/ The Ship Son/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge(*)/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo/ Lament/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional].

Ticket: Xerox of ticket.

Note: Tracks (*) broadcast by Austrian Ö3 FM radio, Music Box program 25-Dec-90. Same tracks available on the "Stranger Than Kindness" CD (Wild Angel records, 1992).

11-Jun-90
UK London-Shepherd's Bush,Lime Grove Studio D
BBC 2 TV - The Late Show

Setlist: The Weeping Song/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional]

Note: Broadcast date. Recording date must have been early June. With Kid Congo Powers. The Late Show was an arts magazine that ran from 1989–1995. "Cindy, Cindy" rebroadcast on 14-Dec-90 on BBC2 TV's "New West Special".

11-Jun-90
SI Ljubljana,Križanke

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Note: In June 1990 Ljubljana was still part of Yugoslavia.

12-Jun-90
RS Beograd,Studentski Kulturni Centar/SKC Hall

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Note: In June 1990 Beograd was still part of Yugoslavia.

16-Jun-90
GR Athina,Lycabetus Hill Theatre-Open Air
[with Louis Tillet]

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Note: 3,000 people attended.

17-Jun-90
GR Athina,Lycabetus Hill Theatre-Open Air
[with Louis Tillet]

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ City Of Refuge/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ Deanna/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Lament/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional].

Note: 3,000 people attended.

Jun-90
UK London-Kings Cross,Worldwide International (Mute records) studios (@ Collier Street). Mixing of the "Cocks 'n' Asses" (aka "The B Side Song" in US) track for "The Weeping Song" single. Engineered by Victor Van Vugt.

May/Jun-90
US Release of "The Good Son" album (Enigma/Mute records).

Press release: Xerox of press release.

Note: The deal between Enigma and Mute fell through, which meant that the album was not available to the fans before the North American tour started. It was reissued in October by Elektra.

21/28-Jun-90
[DE Blixa Bargeld tours Germany with Einstürzende Neubauten].

30-Jun-90
DK Roskilde,Dyrskuepladsen - Open Air Festival
[with The Cure, Lenny Kravitz, Faith No More, Bryan Adams, Ian McCulloch, ..]

Setlist: The Mercy Seat(*)/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song(*)/ Deanna/ The Carny(*)/ The Ship Song(*)/ The Good Son(*)/ City Of Refuge(*)/ From Her To Eternity/ Black Betty [Leadbelly](*)/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional](*).

Handbill: Original handbill, collection FTA.

Video: Private video.

Note: Tracks (*) broadcast by Danish FM radio.

09-Jul-90
JP Tokyo,Club Quattro

10-Jul-90
JP Osaka,Mido-Kaikan

11-Jul-90
JP Nagoya,Club Quattro

Note: Third Japanese tour, 6 dates.

13-Jul-90
JP Tokyo,Nippon Seinenkan Hall/Japan Youth Center (at 7PM)

Handbill: Photo of handbill.

Article: Scan of article from The Age 20-Jul-90.

14-Jul-90
JP Tokyo,Nippon Seinenkan Hall/Japan Youth Center (at 4PM)

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ City Of Refuge/ Knockin' On Joe/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ Deanna/ The Mercy Seat/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ The Carny/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional].

14-Jul-90
JP Tokyo,NipponSeinenkan Hall/Japan Youth Center (at 7PM)

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ City Of Refuge/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ Deanna/ The Mercy Seat/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ The Carny/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo/ All Tomorrow's Parties [Lou Reed]/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional].

Handbill: Xerox of handbill.

17-Jul-90
AU North Perth,The Charles Hotel

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ City Of Refuge/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ Deanna/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional].

Poster: Photo of poster, sourced from Rock Posters Australia (FB).

Note: Start of a fairly low-key Australian tour. 7 dates.

19-Jul-90
AU Brisbane,University of Queenland,St Lucia campus - main refectory

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ From Her To Eternity/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo.

Photo: Credit D. Camm.

Ticket: Photo of ticket, sourced from Rock Posters Australia (FB).

Note: There was a power cut in the building during "The Carnival Is Over", which lasted for 20 minutes.

20-Jul-90
AU Sydney-Newtown,Enmore Theatre
[with Louis Tillet]

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Long Time man [Tim Rose]/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional]/ Tupelo.

Review: Scan of review from The Sydney Morning Herald 23-Jul-90.

21-Jul-90
AU Sydney-Newtown,Enmore Theatre
[with Louis Tillet]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ City Of Refuge/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ Deanna/ The Mercy Seat/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Lament/ Long Time man [Tim Rose]/ Tupelo/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional].

Poster: Photo of poster.

23-Jul-90
AU Melbourne-City,Metro Nightclub

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional].

Review: Scan of review from The Age 25-Jul-90.

Note: Someone in the front row gives Nick Cave a red rose.

24-Jul-90
AU Melbourne-City,Metro Nightclub

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ City Of Refuge/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ Deanna/ The Mercy Seat/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Long Time man [Tim Rose]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional].

Listing: Scan of listing from The Age 20-Jul-90.

Note: Someone in the front row gives Nick Cave a dead branch.

26-Jul-90
AU Melbourne-Parkville,University of Melbourne
(Semi-secret concert)

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ City Of Refuge/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ Deanna/ From Her To Eternity/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Lament/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional]/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers].

Note: Someone in the front row gives Nick Cave a cow's skull.

28-Jul-90
FR FR3 TV,Mégamix programme

Setlist: The Ship Song/ The Mercy Seat.

Note: [Re]broadcast date. Mick Harvey and Nick Cave live in the studio, likely recorded in May 1990 during the French leg of the tour.

13/18-Aug-90
[UK Nick Cave is on a book reading/signing tour].

21-Aug-90
UK Glasgow,Pavilion Theatre

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song (Blixa on vocals)/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Streets of Larado [Traditional](Conway on vocals)/ Tupelo/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional].

Poster: Original German tour poster, collection FTA.

Listing: Original listing from NME 18-Aug-90, collection FTA.

Photo: Backstage photos from Chris Brickley's photobook "16 Years: Gig in Scotland 1974-1990".

Ticket: Scan of ticket for the original date 30-May-90, collection FTA.

Note: Rescheduled from 30-May-90, now serving as a warm-up show for their Reading festival appearance. Nick struggles with his voice after 3 songs, and Blixa, Mick and Conway (singing "The Streets of Larado") had to jump in, and during some songs Nick just skipped a few verses.

24-Aug-90
UK Reading,Richfield Avenue
Reading-Open Air Festival
[with The Cramps, Faith No More, Mudhoney, Janes Addiction,...]

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional].

Poster: Photo of poster.

Photo: Photo credit by Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix at Alamy.com

Video: Private video.

Review: Original reviews from NME and Melody Maker 08-Sep-90, collection FTA.

Note: Nick Cave's microphone malfunctions during "The Witness Song", he had to wait minutes before it was replaced (by tour manager Rainer Jesson).

26-Aug-90
BE Hechtel,Vliegveld Sanicole
Pukkelpop-Open Air Festival
[with The Cramps, Faith No More,The Buzzcocks, Billy Bragg, Rolling Band, The Beasts Of Bourbon, Mudhoney,...]

Setlist: From Her To Eternity/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ The Mercy Seat/ Tupelo/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional].

Poster: Photo of poster.

Ticket/Pass: Original ticket and backstage pass, collection FTA.

Photo: Photo credit Gie Knaeps (via Getty Images).

Review: Original review from Het Nieuwsblad 28-Aug-90, collection FTA.

Note: The Bad Seeds headlining the festival. The Beasts Of Bourbon replaced Swedish band The Creeps at the last minute. About 10,000 attended. Audience recording released on the "The Angel Had The Blues" CD (1992).

17-Sep-90
UK Release of "The Weeping Song/Cocks 'n' Asses" 7"/12" single (Mute records).

17-Sep-90
US Release of "The Weeping Song/ The Train Song/ The B Side Song [aka "Cocks 'n' Asses"]/ Helpless" CDS single (Mute/Elektra records).

18-Sep-90
US NY,New York University,WNYU 89.1 FM Radio
New Afternoon Show

Setlist: Great interview with Nick Cave. He talks about his book "And The Ass Saw The Angel", his band Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, and his acting career.

Audio: Audio at Soundcloud.

Note: WNYU-FM is a College radio station owned and operated by New York University.

20-Sep-90
US IL,Chicago,The Vic Theatre

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Tupelo/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional].

Listing: Scan of listing from Chicago Tribune 16-Sep-90.

Note: Start of the 5th tour of North America, 11 dates. Simon Bonney [Crime and the City Solution] joins as lighting engineer. Victor Van Vugt is still their live sound engineer.

21-Sep-90
US MI,Detroit,St. Andrew's Hall
[with Goober And The Peas]

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose].

Article: Scan of article from Detroit Free Press 21-Sep-90.

24-Sep-90
CA ON,Toronto,Danforth Music Hall

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo/ Knockin' On Joe/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional]/ The Singer [Johnny Cash/Charlie Daniels]/ Lucy.

Handbill: Xerox of handbill.

Ad: Scan of advert from The Toronto Star 24-Sep-90.

Note: Hall capacity 1,400.

25-Sep-90
CA PQ,Montréal,Le Spectrum de Montréal
[with Bob's Your Uncle]

Ad: Scan of ad from The Gazette 22-Sep-90.

Review: Scan of review from The Gazette 26-Sep-90.

Note: Hall capacity 1,200.

27-Sep-90
US MA,Boston-Somerville,Somerville Theater

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ From Her To Eternity/ Lucy/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional].

Preview: Scan of Preview by Jim Sullivan from The Boston Globe 26-Sep-90.

Note: Hall capacity 900.

28-Sep-90
US NY,New York City-Manhattan,Town Hall

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo/ Knockin' On Joe/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional]/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Lucy.

Review: Scan of review from Daily News 02-Oct-90.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Note: Hall capacity 1,500.

29-Sep-90
US NY,New York City-Manhattan,Town Hall

30-Sep-90
US DC,Washington,Georgetown University-Gaston Hall

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty/ Tupelo.

Note: Hall capacity 740. "A couple of songs into the set, a black-clad girl rushed the stage and grabbed Cave’s hand, and he sang the remainder of the song with her clinging to him, moving from side to side as he paced the front of the stage." Recollection by J. Eric Smith.

02-Oct-90
US CO,Denver,Gothic Theater

04-Oct-90
US CA,San Francisco,The Warfield
[with Monks Of Doom]

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo/ Long Time Man [Tim Rose]/ Lucy/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional].

Ad: Scan of ad from The San Francisco Examiner 30-Sep-90.

05-Oct-90
US CA,Los Angeles,Wiltern Theatre

Setlist: The Mercy Seat/ The Witness Song/ I'm Gonna Kill That Woman [John Lee Hooker]/ The Weeping Song/ Foi Na Cruz/ Deanna/ The Carny/ The Ship Song/ The Good Son/ City Of Refuge/ From Her To Eternity/ The Carnival Is Over [Springfield/The Seekers]/ Black Betty [Leadbelly]/ Tupelo/ Cindy, Cindy [Traditional].

Ad: Original ad from LA Weekly 05-Oct-90, collection FTA.

Interview: Scan of interview by Kristine McKenna from Los Angeles Times 30-Sep-90.

Review: Original review from NME 27-Oct-90, collection FTA.

Note: Final date of North American tour.

1x-Oct-90
US Release of "The Good Son" album (Elektra/Mute records).

Review 1:Scan of review from LA Weekly 15-Nov-90.

Review 2:Scan of review from Syracuse Herald-Journal 04-Nov-90.
"This is a sleeping disc, a disc through which to sleep"

Review 3:Scan of review from The Indianapolis Star 10-Dec-90.

09-Oct/04-Nov-90
[EU Mick Harvey tours Europe with Crime and the City Solution].

18/23-Oct-90
[DE/CH Nick Cave is on a book reading/signing tour].

10/17-Nov-90
[US/CA Blixa Bargeld tours North America with Einstürzende Neubauten].

Nov/Dec-90
[US NY, Brooklyn-Williamsburg
Nick Cave stars with Brad Pitt in "Johnny Suede", the debut film by Tom DiCillo. Cave's plays a character named Freak Storm, an albino with a white pompadour, who sings a song called "Mama’s Boy"].

05/19-Dec-90
[EU Mick Harvey tours Europe with Crime and the City Solution].

06/09-Feb-91
DE Berlin,Hansa Ton Studios (@ Köthener Strasse 38). Recording "(I'll Love You) Till The End Of The World" for the film by Wim Wenders. Engineered and mixed by Victor Van Vugt, with André Gierle. Produced by Gareth Jones. Nick Cave (vocals,piano), Mick Harvey (acoustic guitar, bass, piano), Blixa Bargeld (guitar), Thomas Wydler (drums), with Jan Tillman Schade (cello), Bronwyn Adams (violin) and one more string player.

Photo: Screen captures from Uli M. Schueppel's "The Song" (18 minutes short documentary).

Note: At the same period, Blixa is recording with Neubauten at Tritonus studio.

26-Feb/02-Mar-91
[UK Mick Harvey tours Europe with Crime and the City Solution].

Mar/Apr-91
[DE Blixa Bargeld records the "Tabula Rasa" album with Einstürzende Neubauten].

17-May/21-Jun-91
[EU Blixa Bargeld tour Europe with Einstürzende Neubauten].

Jun-91
UK West London,Pavillon Studios. Recording "Tower Of Song" for the "I'm Your Fan: The Songs Of Leonard Cohen" tribute album (Columbia records). Engineered by Victor Van Vugt.

Note 1: Allegedly the band recorded an 80-minutes version in every conceivable musical style. An edited (and hilarious) 33-minutes version is available on the "More Kicks Than Pricks" bootleg CD (Pseudo Indie Label, 1995). Billy Bragg recorded some of his "Workers Playtime" (1988) and "William Bloke" (1996) albums at this studio. Van Morrison used the studio to record some of his "Enlightenment" (1990) and "Hymns To The Silence" (1991) albums.

Note 2: "But we were in a demo studio, we came back from the pub and started playing this song. The engineer just stuck on the DAT player and 80 minutes later we stopped playing it. We basically went through every conceivable form of music." [...] "We didn't really know the chords or the words or whatever. It was a humorous version of one of his songs and it had its charms so we gave it to them." Nick Cave interviewed for NME 04-Apr-92.

02/13-Jul-91
[AU/JP Blixa Bargeld tour Australia and Japan with Einstürzende Neubauten].

17/26-Jul-91
[US/CA Blixa Bargeld tour North America with Einstürzende Neubauten].

01/13-Aug-91
[US/CA Mick Harvey tours North America with Crime and the City Solution].

Aug-91
UK London,Studios. Demoing for the "Henry's Dream" album. Engineered by Victor Van Vugt.

Oct/Nov-91
US NY,New York City-Manhattan,East 51st Street apartment. Nick Cave (with girlfriend Viviane and son) temporarily relocate to New York to prepare for the "Henry's Dream".

Note: Surprisingly, Anita Lane with her husband and son are staying at Nick's place too.

Nov-91
US NY,Bearsville/Hurley (Woodstock),Dreamland Recording Studios (@ 326 NY-28A). Recording sessions (about 3 weeks) for "Henry's Dream" album. Only "Christina The Astonishing" and "Loom Of The Land" made it on the finished album. Engineered by David Cook. Produced by David Briggs [Neil Young and Crazy Horse].

Photo: Credit Dreamland Recording.

Note 1: Located in a 1896 St. John's Church. David Briggs had arrived late into the sessions, which allowed the band to rehearse the new material for much longer than expected.

Note 2: "With [David] Briggs on board, but unavailable for upwards of two weeks, the Bad Seeds booked into Bearsville Studios in upstate New York in November 1991 to work on songs alone. The studio itself was situated in an old church and it was beautiful, idyllic, and as Bargeld recalls, "felt very much like our studios at Hansa, in terms of sound and atmosphere. It was a huge room that we all played in and it produced an absolutely wonderful atmosphere. The Bad Seeds were living in one bungalow in the next village over and we did the demos for 'Henry's Dream' in this beautiful place. I think those demos sounded much better than the stuff that David Briggs did in Los Angeles. The time in the demo studio, for me, really defined the record on a musical level. [...] The second take of 'Christina The Astonishing' is the one we used an dit sounds amazing. I am very close to playing my ideal guitar there... in which I don't even touch the strings. I just had the volume very high up and only played the body. Not hitting it, but brushing it with my fingers." Blixa Bargeld from Amy Hanson's liner notes for the 2010 remastered rerelease of the "Henry's Dream" album.(Source: fromthearchives.org)

Dec-91
US CA,Los Angeles-Van Nuys,Sound City Studios (@ 15456 Cabrito Road). Recording sessions for "Henry's Dream" album continued. Engineered by Chuck Johnson, with Chris Kupper, and Bret Newman. Produced by David Briggs [Neil Young and Crazy Horse]. With guest members of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra: Dennis Karmazyn (cello), Dennis Karmazyn (violin) and Barbara Porter (violin).

Photo: Google street view 2007.

Note 1: Sound City Studio was founded in 1969 by Joe Gottfried and Tom Skeeter. Grateful Dead, Johnny Cash, Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, U2, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan, Guns N' Roses, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc.. all recorded albums here.

Note 2: ".. the Bad Seeds' [...] first takes are usually the best. The producer has to do the job right - get the sound in that moment. If it's not captured then it's a nightmare to reproduce. To play the same basic tracks ten or twenty times [...], the danger is that something get's lost along the way." Thomas Wydler from Amy Hanson's liner notes for the 2010 remastered rerelease of the "Henry's Dream" album.

Note 3: "This is my favourite Bad Seeds line-up. They are able to play very aggressively and still sound like a unified whole. Previous line-ups were often unable to do that. Conway Savage is very country-oriented, very simplistic and rhythmic. Our previous pianist [Roland Wolf] was also very good, but he freaked out quite a bit. That sometimes sounded rather pompous. With this line-up, we are better able to play rock music." Nick Cave interviewed by Martin Aston for OOR magazine 02-May-92.(Source: fromthearchives.org)

Note 4: "With Henry's Dream, Cave had resolved to return the Bad Seeds to collaborating as a true band, and turned to Neil Young's (non) producer David Briggs to help ensure that that happened. The decision apparently worked. Henry's Dream is surely the most musically challenging and thoroughly realized effort the group's ever done, even though the first attempt at working with an outside producer didn't go as smoothly as they'd hoped. [Nick Cave:] "We felt a producer like David Briggs would be interested in capturing the live essence of the band. Briggs proved excellent in being able to hear when we were capable of a better take and getting us to play it again — which got us to be a band again. But when it came to any kind of overdubbing, he didn't seem to understand what we were on about". From NOW magazine 30-Jul-92.

Dec-91
US CA,Malibu,Indigo Ranch Studios (@ 20600 Eagle Pass Drive). Mixing "Brother, My Cup Is Empty" and "Christina The Astonishing" for the "Henry's Dream" album. Engineered by Chuck Johnson, with Chris Kupper, and Bret Newman. Produced by David Briggs [Neil Young and Crazy Horse].

Note: The studios were founded in 1974 by Richard Kaplan and Mike Pinder. In the 70's Neil Young, Billy Preston, Neil Diamond recorded there. In the 1990's it became the place for Nu Metal bands to record. In 2007 the facility was caught by the Corral wildfires and sadly burned to the ground.

Jan-92
AU South-Melbourne,Metropolis Studios (@ 180 Bank Street). Mixing sessions (2 weeks) for the "Henry's Dream" album. Engineered by Tony Cohen, with Mick Harvey and Nick Cave. All tracks are remixed, except "Brother, My Cup Is Empty" and "Christina The Astonishing", which were mixed by David Briggs in Malibu in December '91.

Photo: Google street view 2018.

Note 1: Nick Cave had called Tony Cohen on 09-Jan-92 to help rescue the recordings. At the former Armstrong Audio Video studios (now renamed to Metropolis Studios) where the Bad Seeds recorded their "Kicking Against The Pricks" album in 1985, also with Tony Cohen.

Note 2: "Nick explained that the band had recorded 'Henry's Dream' in Los Angeles at the end of the year and were now back in Australia. He had been listening to the mixes and didn't like them. 'They don't sound very good', he complained, 'and we were wondering if you could come in and fix them up? That phone call launched me back into full-on work. On 'Henry's Dream' The Bad Seeds learnt to get the performances right. Prior to that they'd record the songs, and the mix - the final process - would make everything sparkle. [David] Briggs [had] pushed them to play better, take after take after take. [He did a good job on the recording, in fact, they all commented on it, on how great it was, how he made them do different takes and got the best performance out of them]. The performance was everything. [...] He had got them to perform well, but when it came to the mix, Briggs left all the faders at a certain spot and that was it. For him, the performance was the mix. That did not work for Nick Cave, it sounded dull. Things need a boost. [...] We spent a couple of weeks in the studio comparing mixes and making changes. I've always been a fan of hard panning. If there's two guitarists, I like to mix them on either side to create a stereo image. Quite often you have to, or the sound becomes unclear. " from "Half Deaf, Complete Mad", a memoir by Tony Cohen with John Olson (2023) and "Life in a Padded Cell: A Biography of Tony Cohen", a book by Dale Blair.

30-Mar-92
UK Release of "Straight To You/ Jack The Ripper/ Blue Bird" CDS/7"/12" single (Mute records).

Review: Original review by Simon Price from MM 28-Mar-92. "Single Of The Week".

21/25-Apr-92
UK Manchester,The Ritz

Note: Rehearsals for the upcoming tour.

26-Apr-92
UK Norwich,The Waterfront Acoustic Room
Sound City festival
[with Catherine Wheel]

Setlist: Papa Won't Leave You, Henry/ The Good Son/ I Had A Dream, Joe/ The Mercy Seat/ Jack The Ripper/.. and more...

Handbill: Photo of handbill.

Note: Warm-up show for the tour. Above tracks broadcast by UK FM radio and released on bootleg CD "Darkness" (1998).

27-Apr-92
UK Release of the "Henry's Dream" CD/LP album (Mute records).

Review 1: Original review by Gavin Martin from NME 25-Apr-92. "Haunted, battered, maniac and exhilarating".

Review 2: Original review by Everett True from NME 04-Apr-92. "Henry's Dream is another colossal, towering, juddering miracle of a man who's made a career out of reclaiming the grail".

27-Apr-92
AU Release of the "Henry's Dream" CD/LP album (Liberation/Mute records).

28-Apr-92
UK Manchester,The Ritz

Note: Full dress rehearsal.

29-Apr-92
UK Manchester,International 2
[with The God Machine]

Setlist: Papa Won't Leave You, Henry/ The Good Son/ Brother, My Cup Is Empty/ Christina The Astonishing/ The Mercy Seat/ The Weeping Song/ John Finn's Wife/ I Had A Dream, Joe/ The Ship Song/ Deanna/ Jack The Ripper/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis]/ From Her To Eternity/ New Morning.

Ad: Original full page HMV store ad from UK music mag Apr-92, collection FTA.

Review: Original review from Melody Maker 09-May-92, collection FTA.

Note: Lightshow on the Henry's Dream tour by Mick Marshall [Tom Waits, Elvis Costello]. Victor Van Vugt is still their live sound engineer.

01-May-92
IE Galway-Leisureland,Salthill University Centre
[with Whipping Boy]

02-May-92
IE Dublin,SFX (Saint Francis Xavier) Centre
[with Whipping Boy]

Setlist: Papa Won't Leave You, Henry/ The Good Son/ The Weeping Song/ The Mercy Seat/ Straight To You/ Brother, My Cup Is Empty/ Christina The Astonishing/ John Finn's Wife/ Deanna/ The Ship Song/ I Had A Dream, Joe/ Jack The Ripper/ In The Ghetto [Mac Davis/Elvis]/ From Her To Eternity/ New Morning/ The Hammer Song/ When I First Came to Town.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Review: Xerox of review from Hot Press 04-Jun-92.

04-May-92
UK London,Virgin Megastore (Oxford street)
(1-2PM)

06-May-92
UK Glasgow,Virgin Megastore (Argyle street)
(1-2PM)

Ad: Original full page ad from NME 25-Apr-92, collection FTA.

Note: In-store record signing. At Glasgow Nick Cave and Conway Savage only.