Nick Cave: goth punk pioneer to play one-off Dublin show after triumphant European tour

One of the world's most respected musical masters, Nick Cave has been peddling his dark and enigmatic sound since the post-punk era. Bursting onto the scene in the late 1970s with Australian boarding school band The Birthday Party, music's "Prince of Darkness" has been captivating fans with his moody and intense songwriting ever since. 

After the breakup of The Birthday Party ("the most violent live band in the world" according to contemporary critics) he went on to form Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in 1983; serving as the main creative force on 16 albums and helping the group become "one of the most original and celebrated bands of the post-punk and alternative rock eras in the '80s and beyond".

After delighting fans with their brilliant 2016 album Skeleton Tree – which received almost universal rave reviews from critics – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, with a line up consisting of Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey, Thomas Wydler, Jim Sclavunos, Conway Savage, George Vjestica, Larry Mullins and Nick Cave embarked on a triumphant European tour in the autumn of 2017.

The band called at Bournemouth, Manchester, Glasgow, Nottingham and London, before announcing a one-off show at Dublin's Royal Hospital Kilmainham in June 2018. So what are you waiting for? Buy Nick Cave tickets at StubHub today. 

Nick Cave: music's original 'Bad Seed'

Born and raised in rural Victoria, Cave studied art before turning to music in the 1970s. An emotional and troubled youth, he used music to tackle his demons; writing about a wide variety of subjects such as death, religion, love and violence.

With his shock of black hair and pale, emaciated look, he became gothic rock's pinup as frontman of The Birthday Party, moving the Australian group to London on the advice of legendary broadcaster John Peel in 1980. Disillusioned with life in the English capital, the band's shows became increasingly violent with Cave's vocals ranging from desperate to simply menacing and demented. 

Since forming Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in 1983, the band have released 16 studio albums including From Her to Eternity (1984) and Tender Prey (1988). Their collaboration with Kylie Minogue on the track "Where the Wild Roses Grow" for their ninth album Murder Ballads brought the gothic post-punk pioneers commercial and critical acclaim in 1996.

It remains Cave's most commercially successful single to date, while recent albums Push The Sky Away (2013) and Skelton Tree (2016) – both highly praised by critics – have opened up a whole new audience. 

Similar artists to Nick Cave

After buying Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds tickets at StubHub UK, why not check out other gig listings? Elbow always put on a great show, while The National are back touring the UK and Ireland.