Today 45 years ago, on 21 April 1979, British funk-punk mavericks THE POP GROUP released their startling debut LP Y that still sounds spooky, anarchistic, and gloriously
out of the ordinary today.
Single ‘She’s Beyond Good And Evil
ALBUM
Exactly 1 year ago today the band’s charismatic frontman and
renowned dub artist Mark Stewart passed away, aged only 62.
I had the great pleasure of meeting Mark twice and interviewing
him once. He was not only an influencing artist but also a warm-hearted
and down-to-earth person.
Supreme songsmith Jack Antonoff
and his Bleachers release their self-titled
4th LP on March 8.
And he also curated the soundtrack for Apple TV+’s
new thrilling drama series The New Look.
One of the tracks is Nick Cave‘s cover, in English, of legendary
French chanteuse Edith Piaf‘s (19 December 1915 – 10 October 1963)
self-composed classic La Vie En Rose (covered by many artists over
the years). It’s officially online now.
In his new book DARKER WITH THE DAWN: SONGS OF LOVE AND DEATH author, journalist and poet ADAM STEINER reflects upon NICK CAVE‘s journey from his Australian childhood to his struggles with drug addiction and young fascination with the nightmare landscapes of America’s Wild West and southern gothic, toward a reckoning with his own Christian spirituality.
In a career spanning four decades, Cave’s songwriting has moved from the sinners and saints of murder ballads to piano-based songs of heartbreak, deconstructed garage rock, and ambient fever dreams. Steiner dives into the world of a complex songwriter who continues to speak to us of the light and shade of humanity.
Darker With The Dawn uncovers the history and deeper meanings behind Nick Cave and
The Bad Seeds’ most well-known songs from “Tupelo”, “The Mercy Seat”, “Red Right Hand”, “Stagger Lee”, “Into My Arms”, to “Higgs Boson Blues” and beyond.
Mat Snow former editor of Mojo, author of Nick Cave: Sinner Saint: “Nick Cave has created a body of work across music, prose, and screen unmatched in its impact, depth, and erudition by few artists. At last, we have a critical analysis that does this achievement justice. Adam Steiner has set the benchmark for many years to come.”
Who: One of the most chaotic, disordered, savage post-punk bands
in rock’s turbulent history. Originally known as The Boys Next Door these
desperados left their home country Australia in the mid-70s, moved to London, and started a hellish adventure.
Voice and face was a young disoriented, out-of-his-mind junkie
called Nick Cave who acted like a self-destructive anarchist.
The music was meat-raw, barbed wire rough and extremely
rowdy. TBP was one of those rare bands with an instant
jawdropping impact on your senses. One you’ll never forget
once you heard/saw those cowboys.
Active: 1976–1983 Albums: 1 as The Boys Next Door
and 3 as The Birthday Party
Original line-up.
Nick Cave – vocals, saxophone Mick Harvey – guitar, drums, keyboards Rowland S. Howard – guitar, vocals (R.I.P.) Tracy Pew – bass, clarinet (R.I.P.) Phill Calvert – drums
British-American documentarian, journalist, broadcaster, and author Louis Theroux sat face to face a week ago for an in-depth interview
with living songsmith legend Nick Cave.
