“It had a lot to do with Arthur and Jethro” that Nick Cave changed the way he viewed his own art.
Nick Cave had already spoken out several times about the loss of his children and the impact on his life, his art and his fellow human beings. Now he has made it clear in a new interview that he realized one thing above all: work is not the most important thing in life.
Not bitterness, but a new connection
Arthur Cave and Jethro Lazenby are the names of the two sons Cave lost. Then 15-year-old Arthur Cave, Earl Cave’s twin, died in a fall from a cliff near Brighton in 2015. His eldest son Jethro Lazenby, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, died in 2022 at the age of 31 under circumstances that are still not exactly clear. Now Cave spoke again about the many feelings that the children’s deaths made him feel on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. In the conversation, he admitted that he had since understood “that work is not the be-all and end-all of everything.”
The 67-year-old elaborated: “It has a lot to do with Arthur and Jethro… I’ve always thought that art is everything at the end of the day. I mean, it’s a terrible thing to say, but she was always there. She was always reliable.”
Nevertheless, art should have made room. For his family. For connecting with people. He explained in an interview with “ABC Australia” in August 2024: “The idea that art conquers everything simply no longer applies to me. Instead of making me bitter, in a way it did the opposite. It made me much more connected to people in general.”
Nick Cave will play solo shows in Europe
What was also announced on Monday, January 27th: The Australian has announced solo shows for the summer months together with Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood. In Germany, the duo will only perform in Hamburg. But in a special atmosphere – on June 21st in the Elbphilharmonie.
All of Nick Cave’s European concerts at a glance:
- June 10th – Switzerland, Zurich, Theater 11
- June 11 – Switzerland, Zurich, Theater 11
- June 21st – Germany, Hamburg, Elbphilharmonie
- July 17th – Italy, Lucca, Piazza Napoleone
- July 19th – Italy, Pompei, Anfiteatro di Pompei
- July 21st – Italy, Rome, Auditorium Cavea
- July 22nd – Italy, Rome, Auditorium Cavea
- July 24th – France, Cannes, Palais des Festivals de Cannes
- July 26th – France, Arles, PIAS Show at Théâtre Antique
- August 6th – Norway, Bergen, Grieghallen
- August 7th – Norway, Bergen, Grieghallen
- August 12th – Latvia, Sigulda, Sigulda Castle
- August 19th – Bulgaria, Sofia, Plovdiv Ancient Theater
Tickets for the European gigs will be available from 10am local time on Friday 31st January. It’s best to find out more on the Cave website.