New striking strokes
16 February 2024
Artist: IMUSTBE LEONARDO
Who: Berlin-based Italian singer-songwriter who, since 2016, has composed, recorded, and played songs around Europe and America. He has so far, 2 albums and 2 EPs on his résumé.
New single: NICHOLAS PALACE
From his upcoming 3rd album, named not to be scared of the weekend.
Leonardo: “I wrote this song after reading Nick Cave‘s reply (note: read below) to some of
his fans, who had asked him why he was about to attend the coronation of the UK’s king as
part of the Australian delegation. I love most of Nick Cave’s records and I consider him one
of the greatest songwriters ever.
Nevertheless, I couldn’t help feeling offended by the arrogant tone he adopted at the beginning of his text (“I’ll make this a quick one because I’ve got to work out what I am going to wear to the Coronation”), and by the word “demented” he used to describe his young self – who not only was the best version of the artist named Nick Cave, but is also the reason itself why the current Nick Cave was invited to that ceremony.”
Cave: “I am not a monarchist, nor am I a royalist, nor am I an ardent republican for that matter; what I am also not is so spectacularly incurious about the world and the way it works, so ideologically captured, so damn grouchy, as to refuse an invitation to what will more than likely be the most important historical event in the UK of our age. Not just the most important, but the strangest, the weirdest.” Full statement here.
TUTV: I’m also a long-time Nick Cave fan. A truly remarkable artist. But attending King Charles‘ coronation? Disgusting. That guy nor his late mother never ever had something done to earn their status, they were born that way, they didn’t pay taxes for many years etc… It’s just as disgusting as Johnny ‘Rotten’ Lydon (the Sex Pistols‘ album the best punk one ever, in my book) voting for natural-born charlatan Trump. What is wrong with those millionaire artists?
And they never have enough. If, as a youngster, you want to go to a Cave concert, or
a Björk one, or a Springsteen one, or a Depeche Mode one (and countless more), you have
to rob a bank first so you can pay the decadent entrance prices. Rock ‘n’ roll stars are only for the rich. Yep, also disgusting.
That said Nicholas Palace is an infectious groove, a jagged jam, driven by a rotating riff with Leonardo‘s augmenting the funeral vibe of the song, think The Velvet Underground on a rainy day. Around the 1.30 min mark aggressive guitar electricity turns up and accentuates the end of the birthday party.
LYRICS
Nicholas Palace is out of the cave
he walked all the path, he forgot the days
of the poetry boy who screamed from his heart
“that one was demented”… and now he feels smart
Nicholas Palace is perfectly all right
with dynastic richness and class parasites
he sits at the party, he toasts with the king
on his Chris Kerr’s suit there’s no stain of ink
Nicholas Palace is doing very well
he’s got porcelain and advice to sell
his young demented self lies down in the sands
after building the pulpit for the withered old man
his young demented self lies down in the sands
after building a pulpit for this withered old man
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