Nick Cave on the impact of ‘Red Right Hand’ being used in ‘Peaky Blinders’

"Fucking Birmingham..."

Nick Cave‘s In Conversation tour saw him speak in Birmingham this week, where he was asked about the impact of the city’s own Peaky Blinders on his career.

‘Red Right Hand’ by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds is the track used as the period drama’s theme music, with all other songs used across all four seasons set around a similar theme and mood to match the criminal underbelly of 1920s Birmingham. The song has been covered by numerous artists for the soundtrack, including Iggy Pop and Jarvis Cocker.

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At event at the city’s Symphony Hall this week, one fan asked: “This question, Nick, is about Birmingham. A few years ago, a new show aired on BBC and the opening scene had a man walking down a bleak street in early-1900s Birmingham, to your song ‘Red Right Hand’. Tell me, have you seen a spike in interest in your music and your person as a result of Peaky Blinders?”

According to Birmingham Live, Cave responded: “Fucking Birmingham. It’s a great show. But so many people come up to me and say ‘I’m a huge fan’ and have discovered my music through Peaky Blinders. But was Birmingham really like that?”

The audience member then replied: “It still is.”

Speaking to NME about what an artist needs to be chosen for the Peaky Blinders soundtrack, season four’s musical director Anthony Genn said: “Nick Cave is an outlaw. PJ Harvey is an outlaw. Our friend Flood, who was involved doing season two, is very much an outlaw.”

Season five of Peaky Blinders is set to premiere later in 2019.

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Meanwhile, the Bad Seeds have been hard at work on the follow-up to their acclaimed 2016 album ‘Skeleton Tree’. During an event in Melbourne, the frontman gave fans an update on their progress, saying he was “very, very excited about it” and that the band would soon be wrapping up the record.

Back in September, Cave’s wife Suzie Bick confirmed that the band were working on new material in Los Angeles. “Some of his songs reveal themselves at night in his fever dreams,” she said at the time. “They are his Fever Songs.”

The remaining dates of Nick Cave’s In Conversation tour are:

Wednesday 19 – The Barbican, London, UK
Thursday 20 – The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, UK
Saturday 22 – Usher Hall, Edinburgh, UK
Saturday 23 – Sage One, Gateshead, UK
Tuesday 25 – Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, UK
Wednesday 26 – Eventim Olympia, Liverpool, UK
Friday 28 – Brighton Dome Concert Hall, Brighton, UK

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