Australian legend Nick Cave is one of Brighton’s best loved local celebrities
Brighton resident Nick Cave’s set at Spain’s major Primavera Festival was suitably brilliant. Audience members hailed it as the “The best thing ever”. Some even said that other acts “can go home now”.
During his performance of Girl in Amber from 2016’s acclaimed album Skeleton Tree, an image of the West Pier was projected behind him.
The West Pier was famously destroyed in an arson attack in 2003. Its skeleton still stands, and is one of the most iconic sites in Brighton despite its destruction.
That Cave coupled this iconic image with the intimate Girl in Amber lays bare his deep affinity for the city.
.@nickcave gets crowd on stage for a monumental version of Push The Sky Away to crown a classic @Primavera_Sound set, following a beautiful homage to #Brighton on Girl In Amber #westpier pic.twitter.com/40yW7qpJS0
— Dominic Smith (@mrdominicsmith) June 1, 2018
Cave has said recently that he will be leaving Brighton. He stated that “we just find it too difficult to live here” in a 2017 GQ interview.
Cave suffered a heavy personal trauma, following his son Arthur’s tragic death at the age of 15.
He fell off a cliff in Brighton while on LSD in 2015. The event heavily influenced the tone and content of Skeleton Tree.
This personal tragedy was met with outpourings of support from the Brighton community.
Cave clearly feels the love for the city that it feels for him.
