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Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace: Idiot Prayer

Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace: Idiot Prayer

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Summary

Nick Cave performs solo at the piano, at Alexandra Palace, playing songs from his extensive catalog, and including rare tracks that most fans will be hearing for the first time.

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IMDB

Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Jamie Healy

Conceived as a way of reaching out to audiences during Covid-enforced lockdown, this elegantly filmed solo performance finds Nick Cave delving deep into his back catalogue. With no band to back him up and no audience to feed off, the focus is very much on the man, his words and his music. The film opens with Cave reading aloud The Spinning Song from Ghosteen, but in no way is this a promotional exercise for his latest album. Neither is it a "greatest hits" set. Instead, Cave offers up a very personal selection of songs encompassing his work with the Bad Seeds and side project Grinderman, plus a few covers and one new song, Euthanasia. Some tracks are tailor-made for the stripped-back treatment (Into My Arms), while others are given more of a radical overhaul (Papa Won't Leave You, Henry). The cavernous surrounds of London's Ally Pally lends itself surprisingly well to this most intimate of shows, with the subtly changing lights enhancing the emotion of the songs, captured beautifully by Robbie Ryan's lingering camera. The hypnotic spell is only broken when Cave hits a bum note at the end of (Are You) the One That I've Been Waiting For?, which he acknowledges with a laugh. The circumstances that brought about this concert may have been exceptional, but Cave rises to the challenge with a stand-out set, delivered with simplicity and sincerity.

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8.2/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameNick CaveNick Cave

Crew

rolenameDirectorNick CaveDirectorRobbie Ryan

Details

Theatrical distributor

Trafalgar Releasing Ltd

Released on

2021-01-14

Languages

English

Formats

Colour

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