Nick Cave’s Alexandra Palace Solo Concert Coming To Cinemas

Nick Cave is releasing his June 19 solo piano performance at Alexandra Palace in cinemas, as well as on vinyl and CD.

The performance was recorded in the vast West Hall of the iconic London venue. Initially imagined as an online-only event, fans will now be able to see the film in cinemas as an extended cut featuring four unseen performances.

The extended film will hit cinemas via Trafalgar Releasing on Nov. 5, tickets will go on sale Sept. 10, initially excluding the U.S., where the onsale will begin at a later date tba.

Pollstar has reached out to Trafalgar for a list of cinemas that’ll show the film. The album will be out Nov. 20.

For the unique performance, Cave performed stripped-back versions of songs that range from early Bad Seeds and Grinderman days, right through to the most recent Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds album, Ghosteen.

 

The performance was filmed by award-winning Cinematographer Robbie Ryan, and was edited by Nick Emerson. The music was recorded by Dom Monks.

The concert was realized by a new company called Driift, which is the brainchild of ATC Management’s Ric Salmon and Brian Message. Pollstar recently spoke to Salmon about their vision: producing and promoting ticketed live concerts in empty, and often spectacular, venues, which are captured by multiple cameras under the guidance of professional film directors, and broadcast online.

Commented Nick Cave: “The film ‘Idiot Prayer’ evolved from my ‘Conversations With…’ events. I loved playing deconstructed versions of my songs at these shows, distilling them to their essential forms. I felt I was rediscovering the songs all over again, and started to think about going into a studio and recording these reimagined versions at some stage – whenever I could find the time. 

 

“Then, the pandemic came – the world went into lockdown, and fell into an eerie, self-reflective silence. It was within this silence that I began to think about the idea of not only recording the songs, but also filming them.

 

“We worked with the team at Alexandra Palace – a venue I have played and love – on securing a date to film just as soon as they were allowed to re-open the building to us.

 

“On June 19, 2020, surrounded by Covid officers with tape measures and thermometers, masked-up gaffers and camera operators, nervous looking technicians and buckets of hand gel, we created something very strange and very beautiful that spoke into this uncertain time, but was in no way bowed by it. 

 

“This is the album taken from that film. It is a prayer into the void – alone at Alexandra Palace – a souvenir from a strange and precarious moment in history. I hope you enjoy it.”