Editing Nick Cave (section)

== Music career ==
=== Early years and the Birthday Party (1973–1983) ===
{{Main|The Birthday Party (band)}}

In 1973, Cave founded a band with fellow students at Caulfield Grammar. With Cave as lead vocalist, the band included [[Mick Harvey]] (guitar), [[Phill Calvert]] (drums), John Cochivera (guitar), Brett Purcell (bass guitar), and Chris Coyne (saxophone). Their repertoire consisted of cover versions of songs by [[Lou Reed]], [[David Bowie]], [[Alice Cooper]], [[Roxy Music]] and [[Alex Harvey (musician)|Alex Harvey]], among others. Later, the line-up slimmed down to four members including Cave's friend [[Tracy Pew]] on bass guitar. In 1977, after leaving school, they adopted the name the Boys Next Door and began playing predominantly original [[punk rock]] material. Guitarist, songwriter and ex-[[Young Charlatans]] member [[Rowland S. Howard]] joined the band in 1978.

[[File:George Hotel Crystal Ballroom St Kilda.jpg|thumb|The Melbourne post-punk venue the [[Crystal Ballroom (Melbourne)|Crystal Ballroom]], Cave's "first great stage"<ref name=walker/>]]
The Boys Next Door emerged as the linchpin of the Melbourne [[post-punk]] scene in the late 1970s, securing a residency at [[St Kilda, Victoria|St Kilda]]'s [[Crystal Ballroom (Melbourne)|Crystal Ballroom]] venue, where they attracted a [[cult following]].<ref name=walker>Walker, Clinton (2009). "Planting Seeds". In Dalziell, Tanya; Welberry, Karen (ed.). ''Cultural Seeds: Essays on the Work of Nick Cave''. [[Taylor & Francis]]. pp. 31–46. ISBN 9780754663959.</ref> They played hundreds of live shows in Australia and toured interstate before changing their name to the Birthday Party in 1980 and moving to [[London]], England. Cave's girlfriend and muse [[Anita Lane]] accompanied the band. They struggled initially with financial instability and limited connections, and grew to detest London and much of its music scene, which Cave later described as "dead, ... we felt really ripped off, robbed". He did however greatly admire [[the Pop Group]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Nick Cave on The Pop Group (1999) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUC2GmzJpGY |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/BUC2GmzJpGY |archive-date=2021-12-21 |access-date=13 January 2021 |website=[[YouTube]]| date=20 July 2010 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> and the Birthday Party shared a mutual affinity with [[The Fall (band)|the Fall]].

By the end of their first year in London, the Birthday Party had gained notoriety for their aggressive, confrontational live shows and Cave's unhinged stage presence, with him shrieking, bellowing and throwing himself about the stage, backed up by harsh pounding rock music laced with guitar feedback. Drawing on [[Old Testament]] imagery, Cave's lyrics frequently revolved around sin, debauchery and damnation.<ref name=rey>{{cite book |author=Reynolds, Simon |title=Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984 |year=2005 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/ripitupstartagai00reyn/page/429 429–431] |publisher=London: [[Faber & Faber]], 2005 |isbn=0-571-21569-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/ripitupstartagai00reyn/page/429 }}</ref> The band found a champion in prominent radio DJ and taste-maker [[John Peel]], and went on to record four [[John Peel#Peel Sessions|Peel Sessions]].

Cave's droll sense of humour and penchant for parody is evident in many of the band's songs, including "Nick the Stripper" and "[[King Ink]]". "[[Release the Bats]]", one of the band's most famous songs and John Peel's single of the year in 1981, was intended as an over-the-top "[[taking the piss|piss-take]]" on [[gothic rock]], and a "direct attack" on the "stock gothic associations that less informed critics were wont to make". Ironically, it became highly influential on the genre, giving rise to a new generation of bands in England.<ref>Welberry, Karren (ed.) (2016). ''Cultural Seeds: Essays on the Work of Nick Cave''. [[Routledge]]. p. 87–88</ref>

The Birthday Party relocated to [[West Berlin]] in 1982. After establishing a [[cult following]] in Europe, Australia and the United States, they disbanded in the following year.

=== Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (1984–present) ===
[[File:Nick Cave 1986.jpg|thumb|upright|Cave performing in Belgium, 1986]]
{{Main|Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds}}
The band with Cave as their lead vocalist has released eighteen studio albums. ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' calls the group one of rock's "most enduring, redoubtable" bands, with an accomplished discography.<ref>Stuart Berman, [[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]], [https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12949-from-her-to-eternity-the-first-born-is-dead-kicking-against-the-pricks-your-funeral-my-trial/ "Album reviews: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: From Her to Eternity / The First Born is Dead / Kicking Against the Pricks / Your Funeral&nbsp;... My Trial"], 6 May 2009. Retrieved 30 September 2009.</ref> Though their sound tends to change considerably from one album to another, the one constant of the band is an unpolished blending of disparate genres, and song structures which provide a vehicle for Cave's virtuosic, frequent histrionics. Critics [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] and Steve Huey wrote: "With the Bad Seeds, Cave continued to explore his obsessions with religion, death, love, America, and violence with a bizarre, sometimes self-consciously eclectic hybrid of blues, gospel, rock, and arty post-punk."<ref name="erlewine" />
[[File:Nick Cave- Hamburg 2001.jpg|thumb|Hamburg, Germany July 2001]]
Reviewing the band's fourteenth studio album ''[[Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!]]'' (2008), ''[[NME]]'' used the phrase "[[Gothic rock|gothic]] psycho-sexual apocalypse" to describe the "menace" present in the lyrics of the title track.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds/9484 |title= Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! (album review) |work=[[NME]] |date=21 February 2008 |access-date=2 January 2012}}</ref> Their most recent work, ''[[Wild God]]'', was released in August 2024.

In a September 2013 interview, Cave explained that he returned to using a [[typewriter]] for songwriting after his experience with their twelfth studio album ''[[Nocturama (album)|Nocturama]]'' (2003), as he "could walk in on a bad day and hit 'delete' and that was the end of it". Cave believes that he lost valuable work due to a "bad day".<ref name="Big" />

=== Grinderman (2006–2010) ===
{{Main|Grinderman}}
[[File:Grinderman 2008.jpg|thumb|Cave and Ellis performing as Grinderman in 2008]]
In 2006, Cave formed Grinderman with himself on vocals, guitar, organ and piano, [[Warren Ellis (musician)|Warren Ellis]] ([[tenor guitar]], electric mandolin, violin, viola, guitar, backing vocals), [[Martyn P. Casey]] (bass, guitar, backing vocals) and [[Jim Sclavunos]] (drums, percussion, backing vocals). The alternative rock outfit was formed as "a way to escape the weight of the Bad Seeds".<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Cave|first1=Nick|year=2010|title=And Now It's Cave's ''Other'' Deranged Blues Band!|journal=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|issue=September 2010|page=55}}</ref> The band's name was inspired by a [[Memphis Slim]] song, "Grinder Man Blues", which Cave is noted to have started singing during one of the band's early rehearsal sessions. The band's debut studio album, ''[[Grinderman (album)|Grinderman]]'', was released in 2007 to positive reviews and the band's second and final studio album, ''[[Grinderman 2]]'', was released in 2010 to a similar reception.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Empire |first=Kitty |date=2010-09-25 |title=Grinderman |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/sep/26/grinderman-nick-cave-live-review |access-date=2024-05-30 |work=[[The Observer]] |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}}</ref>

Grinderman's first public performance was at [[All Tomorrow's Parties (festival)|All Tomorrow's Parties]] in April 2007, where [[Bobby Gillespie]] from [[Primal Scream]] accompanied Grinderman on backing vocals and percussion.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Quietus |first=The |date=2009-01-11 |title=Grinderman Play Surprise All Tomorrow's Parties Gig Down Under |url=https://thequietus.com/news/nick-cave-s-grinderman-play-surprise-all-tomorrow-s-parties-gig/ |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=[[The Quietus]] |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=All Tomorrow's Parties - ATP 2007 |url=https://www.concertarchives.org/concerts/all-tomorrow-s-parties-atp-2007-f6034618-a9b5-4532-ad8e-25820c469591 |website=Concert Archives}}</ref>

In December 2011, after performing at the [[Meredith Music Festival]], Cave announced that Grinderman was over.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nick Cave announces that Grinderman are 'over' – News &#124; thevine.com.au |url=http://www.thevine.com.au/music/news/nick-cave-announces-that-grinderman-was-%27over%2720111211.aspx |work=[[The Vine]] |author=Marcus |date=11 December 2011 |access-date=11 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831203148/http://www.thevine.com.au/music/news/nick-cave-announces-that-grinderman-was-%27over%2720111211.aspx |archive-date=31 August 2013 }}</ref> Two years later, Grinderman performed both weekends at the 2013 [[Coachella|Coachella Festival]], as did Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/qa-nick-cave-on-his-coachella-sets-and-denying-himself-sacred-moments-100399/ |author=Fricke, David |title=Q&A: Nick Cave on His Coachella Sets and Denying Himself 'Sacred Moments' |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=11 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190611153248/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/qa-nick-cave-on-his-coachella-sets-and-denying-himself-sacred-moments-100399/ |archive-date=11 June 2019 |url-status=live |access-date=11 June 2019}}</ref>

=== Music in film and television ===
Cave's music was featured in a scene of the 1986 film, ''[[Dogs in Space]]'' by Richard Lowenstein.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/ReadingRoom/film/dbase/1997/pascho.htm|title=''Dogs in Space''|website=Murdoch.edu.au|access-date=22 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321234247/http://wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/ReadingRoom/film/dbase/1997/pascho.htm|archive-date=21 March 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Cave performed parts of the Boys Next Door song "[[Shivers (The Boys Next Door song)|Shivers]]" twice during the film, once on video and once live.

Another early fan of Cave's was German director [[Wim Wenders]], who lists Cave, along with [[Lou Reed]] and [[Portishead (band)|Portishead]], as among his favourites.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/25/2254785.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527213138/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/25/2254785.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 May 2008|title=Wenders unveils ode to rock'n'roll at Cannes|work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]|date=24 May 2008|access-date=22 September 2014}}</ref> Cave and the Bad Seeds appear in the 1987 film ''[[Wings of Desire]]'' performing "[[The Carny]]" and "[[From Her to Eternity (song)|From Her to Eternity]]".<ref>Dave Tacon, "[http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2003/great-directors/wenders/ Wim Wenders]", [[Senses of Cinema]]. Retrieved on 25 November 2008.</ref> Two original songs were included in Wenders' 1993 sequel ''[[Faraway, So Close!]]'', including the title track. The soundtrack for Wenders' 1991 film ''[[Until the End of the World]]'' features, another Cave original, "(I'll Love You) Till the End of the World". Cave and the Bad Seeds later recorded a live in-studio cover track for Wenders' 2003 documentary ''[[The Soul of a Man]]'', and his 2008 film ''[[Palermo Shooting]]'' features two original songs from Cave's side project Grinderman.<ref>"[https://www.pbs.org/theblues/aboutfilms/wenders.html The Blues: The Soul of a Man]", [[PBS]]. Retrieved on 25 November 2008.</ref>

Cave's songs have also appeared in a number of [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] [[Blockbuster (entertainment)|blockbusters]] – "There is a Light" appears on the 1995 soundtrack for ''[[Batman Forever]]'', and "[[Red Right Hand]]" appeared in a number of films including ''[[Dumb and Dumber]]'' (1994), ''[[The X-Files (film)|The X-Files]]'' (1998); ''[[Scream (1996 film)|Scream]]'' (1996), its sequels ''[[Scream 2]]'' (1997) and ''[[Scream 3|3]]'' (2000), and ''[[Hellboy (2004 film)|Hellboy]]'' (2004; performed by [[Pete Yorn]]). In ''[[Scream 3]]'', the song was given a reworking with Cave writing new lyrics and adding an orchestra to the arrangement of the track. "People Ain't No Good" was featured in ''[[Shrek 2]]'' (2004). ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1]]'' (2010) music supervisor Matt Biffa chose to use Cave's "[[Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus|O Children]]" in the film because it was "really uplifting".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-09 |title=The story of how a Nick Cave song was used in 'Harry Potter' |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/story-how-a-nick-cave-song-used-in-harry-potter/ |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2000, [[Andrew Dominik]] used "Release the Bats" in his film ''[[Chopper (film)|Chopper]]''. Other films that use Cave's songs include ''[[The Freshman (1990 film)|The Freshman]]'' (1990), ''[[Gas Food Lodging]]'' (1992), ''[[Box of Moonlight]]'' (1996), ''[[Kevin & Perry Go Large]]'' (2000), ''[[Mr In-Between]]'' (2001), ''[[Romance & Cigarettes]]'' (2005), ''[[Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant]]'' (2009) and ''[[About Time (2013 film)|About Time]]'' (2013).

His music also appear in a number of major television shows, including ''[[Trauma (American TV series)|Trauma]]'', ''[[The L Word]]'', ''[[Traveler (American TV series)|Traveler]]'', ''[[The Unit]]'', ''[[I Love the '70s (British TV series)|I Love the '70s]]'', ''[[The Others (TV series)|The Others]]'', ''[[Nip/Tuck]]'', ''[[Californication (TV series)|Californication]]'', ''[[After Life (TV series)|After Life]]'' and ''[[Jack Irish]]''. "Red Right Hand" is the theme song for ''[[Peaky Blinders (TV series)|Peaky Blinders]]'', which also features cover versions by artists such as his ex-partner [[PJ Harvey]], [[Arctic Monkeys]], [[Laura Marling]], [[Iggy Pop]] and [[Jarvis Cocker]] of [[Pulp (band)|Pulp]], [[Patti Smith]] and [[Anna Calvi]]. In a 2019 interview with ''[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]'', [[Cillian Murphy]], who plays [[Tommy Shelby]] in ''Peaky Blinders'', mentioned that Cave personally approved the use of the song for the series after watching a pre-screening of the show.<ref>"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqRHgm6LLLo&t=657 Cillian Murphy: VICE Autobiographies]", [[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]. Retrieved on 21 August 2019.</ref>

=== Collaborations ===

==== 1980–2000 ====
During the 1982 recording sessions for the Birthday Party's third studio album ''[[Junkyard (album)|Junkyard]]'', Cave, together with band-mates Harvey and Howard, joined members of [[the Go-Betweens]] to form [[Tuff Monks]]. The short-lived band released one single, "After the Fireworks", and played live only once. Later that year, Cave contributed to the concept album ''[[Honeymoon in Red]]''. Intended as a collaboration between the Birthday Party and [[Lydia Lunch]], the album was not released until 1988, by which time Lunch had fallen out with Cave, who she credits on the release as "Anonymous", "Her Dead Twin" and "A Drunk Cowboy Junkie".<ref name="Walker, Clinton 1984">Walker, Clinton (1984). ''The Next Thing''. Kangaroo Press. {{ISBN|9780949924810}}. p. 14.</ref>

During the Birthday Party's Berlin period, Cave collaborated with local post-punk and [[post-rock]] band [[Die Haut]] on their studio album ''[[Burnin' the Ice]]'', released in 1983. In the immediate aftermath of the Birthday Party's break-up, Cave performed several shows in the United States as part of [[the Immaculate Consumptive]], a short-lived "[[supergroup (music)|super-group]]" with Lunch, [[Marc Almond]] and [[JG Thirlwell|Clint Ruin]].<ref name="Walker, Clinton 1984"/> Cave sang on an [[Annie Hogan]] song called "Vixo" which was recorded in October 1983: the track was released in 1985 on the 12" inch vinyl "Annie Hogan – Plays Kickabye".<ref>"Annie Hogan Plays "Kickabye" – liner notes for "Vixo" on the label Doublevision – DVR9 on 12" in 1985.</ref>

[[File:JohnnyCash1969.jpg|thumb|upright|left|After covering one another's songs, Cave and [[Johnny Cash]] (pictured) recorded duets for what would be Cash's final studio album.]]
A lifelong fan of [[Johnny Cash]], Cave covered his song "The Singer", originally "[[The Folk Singer]]", for the studio album ''[[Kicking Against the Pricks]]'' (1986), which Cash seemingly repaid by covering "The Mercy Seat" on ''[[American III: Solitary Man]]'' (2000). Cave was then invited to contribute to the liner notes of the double-compact disc compilation album ''[[The Essential Johnny Cash (2002 album)|The Essential Johnny Cash]]'', released to coincide with Cash's 70th birthday. Subsequently, Cave recorded a duet with Cash, a cover version of [[Hank Williams]]' "[[I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry]]", for what would be Cash's final studio album, ''[[American IV: The Man Comes Around]]'' (2002). Another duet between the two artists, the American folk song "[[Cindy (folk song)|Cindy]]", was released posthumously on ''[[Unearthed (Johnny Cash album)|Unearthed]]'', a boxset of outtakes. Cave's song "Let the Bells Ring", released on the  studio album ''[[Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus]]'' (2004), is a posthumous tribute to Cash.

[[File:PJ Harvey at the O2 Apollo4.jpg|thumb|upright|Cave's ex-partner, [[PJ Harvey]], appears on his studio album ''[[Murder Ballads]]'', notably the single "[[Young Hunting#Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds version|Henry Lee]]".]]
Cave played with [[Shane MacGowan]] on cover versions of [[Bob Dylan]]'s "Death is Not the End" and [[Louis Armstrong]]'s "[[What a Wonderful World]]". Cave recorded a cover version of [[the Pogues]]' song "[[Rainy Night in Soho]]", written by MacGowan. MacGowan also sings a version of "Lucy", released on ''[[B-Sides & Rarities (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album)|B-Sides & Rarities]]'' (2005). Cave provided guest vocals on the title track of [[Current 93]]'s studio album ''[[All the Pretty Little Horses (album)|All the Pretty Little Horses]]'' (1996), as well as the closer "Patripassian". For his studio album ''[[Murder Ballads]]'' (1996), Cave recorded "[[Where the Wild Roses Grow]]" with [[Kylie Minogue]], and "[[Young Hunting#Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds version|Henry Lee]]" with [[PJ Harvey]].

Cave also took part in ''The X-Files'' compilation CD with some other artists, where he reads parts from the Bible combined with own texts, like "Time Jesum&nbsp;...", he outed himself as a fan of the series some years ago, but since he does not watch much TV, it was one of the only things he watched.

==== 2000–present (as of 2025) ====
In 2004, Cave gave a hand to [[Marianne Faithfull]] on her sixteenth studio album, ''[[Before the Poison]]''. He co-wrote and produced three songs ("Crazy Love", "There Is a Ghost" and "Desperanto"), and the Bad Seeds are featured on all of them. He is also featured on "The Crane Wife 3" (originally by [[the Decemberists]]), on Faithfull's seventeenth studio album, ''[[Easy Come, Easy Go (Marianne Faithfull album)|Easy Come, Easy Go]]'' (2008).

He collaborated on the 2003 single "Bring It On", with [[Chris Bailey (musician, born 1956)|Chris Bailey]], formerly of the Australian punk group, [[The Saints (Australian band)|the Saints]]. Cave contributed vocals to the song "Sweet Rosyanne", on the studio album ''Catch That Train!'' (2006) by Dan Zanes & Friends, a children's music group.

In 2010, Cave began a series of duets with [[Debbie Harry]] of [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]] for ''[[Jeffrey Lee Pierce|The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project – We Are Only Riders|url=http://label.glitterhouse.com/releases.php?show=13|website=[[Glitterhouse Records]]|access-date=11 January 2010|archive-date=16 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516103156/http://label.glitterhouse.com/releases.php?show=13|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project – The Journey is Long|url=http://label.glitterhouse.com/releases.php?show=152|website=Glitterhouse Records|access-date=30 March 2012|archive-date=15 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415120334/http://label.glitterhouse.com/releases.php?show=152|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project – Axels & Sockets|url=http://label.glitterhouse.com/releases.php?show=190|website=Glitterhouse Records|access-date=2 May 2014|archive-date=6 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706161023/http://label.glitterhouse.com/releases.php?show=190|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2011, Cave recorded a cover version of [[the Zombies]]' "[[She's Not There]]" with [[Neko Case]], which was used at the end of the first episode of the fourth season of ''[[True Blood]]''.

In 2014, Cave wrote the libretto for the opera ''[[Shell Shock (opera)|Shell Shock]]'' by the Belgian composer [[Nicholas Lens]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Robert-Jan Bartunek |url=http://in.reuters.com/article/ww1-century-opera-idINKCN0ID2GX20141024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306172730/http://in.reuters.com/article/ww1-century-opera-idINKCN0ID2GX20141024 |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 March 2016 |title=Shell Shock opera brings trauma of World War One to stage |website=[[Reuters]] |date=25 October 2014 |access-date=10 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/scenes/article/2014/10/29/shell-shock-fait-eprouver-le-traumatisme-des-tranchees_4514105_1654999.html |title='Shell Shock' fait éprouver le traumatisme des tranchées |newspaper=[[Le Monde]] |date=29 October 2014 |access-date=10 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mutesong.com/writers/nicholas-lens/ |title=Nicholas Lens – Mute Song |website=Mutesong.com |access-date=10 September 2016}}</ref> The opera premiered at the Royal Opera House [[La Monnaie]] in [[Brussels]] on 24 October 2014<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lamonnaie.be/en/opera/421/Shell-Shock |title=Program (Opera) &#124; La Monnaie / De Munt |website=[[La Monnaie]] |access-date=10 September 2016}}</ref>
and was also set up at the international Weekend of War and Peace, [[Paris]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Laspière|first=Victor Tribot|date=9 November 2018|title=Shell Shock, un opéra de Nicholas Lens en hommage aux victimes de la Grande Guerre|url=https://www.francemusique.fr/opera/shell-shock-un-opera-de-nicholas-lens-en-hommage-aux-victimes-de-la-grande-guerre-66905|access-date=14 March 2021|website=[[France Musique]]|language=fr}}</ref> on 10 and 11 November 2018 performed by L' [[Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France]] at [[Cité de la Musique]] ([[Philharmonie de Paris]])<ref>{{Cite web|title=Shell Shock, A Requiem of War|url=https://philharmoniedeparis.fr/fr/activite/spectacle/19070-shell-shock-requiem-war|access-date=14 March 2021|website=[[Philharmonie de Paris]]|language=fr|archive-date=20 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220174154/https://philharmoniedeparis.fr/fr/activite/spectacle/19070-shell-shock-requiem-war|url-status=dead}}</ref> with live television broadcasting on [[Arte]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Opera in the Media: Week 46 of 2018 |date= 9 November 2018|publisher= [[Place de l'Opéra]]|url=https://www-operamagazine-nl.translate.goog/binnenkort/46093/opera-in-de-media-week-46-van-2018/?_x_tr_sl=nl&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc|access-date= 22 May 2024}}</ref> and [[France Musique]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nicholas Lens – "Shell Shock" (Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France & Silesia Opera Choir)|url=https://www.francemusique.fr/en/concerts/music-performances/shell-shock-requiem-war-22350|access-date=14 March 2021|website=France Musique|language=en}}</ref>

In 2020, Cave wrote the libretto for ''[[L.I.T.A.N.I.E.S]]'', a trance-minimal chamber opera by [[Nicholas Lens]]. A recording produced by both writers was released by [[Deutsche Grammophon]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=L.I.T.A.N.I.E.S Nicholas Lens & Nick Cave – Insights|url=https://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/catalogue/products/l-i-t-a-n-i-e-s-nicholas-lens-nick-cave-12128/insights|access-date=14 March 2021|website=[[Deutsche Grammophon]]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=8 October 2020|title=Nick Cave teams up with composer Nicholas Lens for "lockdown opera" 'L.I.T.A.N.I.E.S'|url=https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/music/nick-cave-teams-up-with-composer-nicholas-lens-for-lockdown-opera-l-i-t-a-n-i-e-s-2777504|access-date=14 March 2021|website=NME|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Nick Cave and Nicholas Lens Collaborate on New Opera L.I.T.A.N.I.E.S|url=https://news.yahoo.com/nick-cave-nicholas-lens-collaborate-160534870.html|access-date=14 March 2021|website=[[Yahoo News]]|date=9 October 2020 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=9 October 2020|title=Il 4 dicembre uscirà la "lockdown opera" di Nick Cave|url=https://www.rollingstone.it/musica/news-musica/il-4-dicembre-uscira-la-lockdown-opera-di-nick-cave/534553/|access-date=14 March 2021|website=Rolling Stone Italia|language=it-IT}}</ref>

In 2004, Cave said: "I'm forever near a stereo saying, 'What the fuck is this garbage?' And the answer is always the [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]]." The line is widely quoted in discourse around the band; their bassist, [[Flea (musician)|Flea]], a fan of Cave, wrote that it had hurt him. In 2025, Cave wrote an apology on his website, saying it was "an offhand and somewhat uncharitable remark" with "no malice intended", and announced that he had recently contributed to a record by Flea.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Breihan |first=Tom |date=2025-03-12 |title=Nick Cave clarifies stance on Red Hot Chili Peppers, discusses forthcoming Flea collaboration |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2300054/nick-cave-clarifies-stance-on-red-hot-chili-peppers-discusses-forthcoming-flea-collaboration/news/ |access-date=2025-03-15 |website=[[Stereogum]] |language=en}}</ref>

==== Film scores and theatre music ====
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| quote   = "When Cave makes a brief appearance in the film's waning minutes—playing a grungy troubadour, of course, strolling the length of a bar as he growls the oft-sung folk tribute to [[Jesse James]]—you almost get the feeling that in some ways it's been Cave, by way of his score, telling the story all along."
|source  = {{mdash}} ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' reviewing [[The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (soundtrack)|the soundtrack]] for ''[[The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford]]'' (2007)<ref>Klein, Joshua (1 February 2008). [https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11121-the-assassination-of-jesse-james-by-the-coward-robert-ford/ "Nick Cave / Warren Ellis: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"], ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''. Retrieved 22 March 2021.</ref>
}}
Cave creates original film scores with fellow Bad Seeds band member [[Warren Ellis (musician)|Warren Ellis]]—they first teamed up in 2005 to work on Hillcoat's [[bushranger]] film ''[[The Proposition (2005 film)|The Proposition]]'', for which Cave also wrote the screenplay.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.infilm.com.au/?p=87&_r=true |access-date=15 October 2012 |title=Archived copy |archive-date=13 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113010207/http://www.infilm.com.au/?p=87&_r=true |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2007, Cave and Ellis composed the music for [[Andrew Dominik]]'s adaptation of [[Ron Hansen (novelist)|Ron Hansen]]'s ''[[The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11121-the-assassination-of-jesse-james-by-the-coward-robert-ford/|title=Nick Cave and Warren Ellis The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford|website=Pitchfork.com|access-date=22 September 2014}}</ref> By the time Dominik's film was released, Hillcoat was preparing his next project, ''[[The Road (2009 film)|The Road]]'', an adaptation of [[Cormac McCarthy]]'s [[The Road|novel]] about a father and son struggling to survive in a [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|post-apocalyptic]] world. Cave and Ellis wrote and recorded the score for the film, which was released in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/r25c|title=Nick Cave and Warren Ellis The Road Review|website=[[BBC]]|access-date=22 September 2014}}</ref> In 2011, Cave and Ellis reunited with Hillcoat to score his latest picture, ''[[Lawless (film)|Lawless]]''. Cave also authored this screenplay based on [[Matt Bondurant]]'s novel ''[[The Wettest County in the World]]'' (2008). Set in Depression-era [[Franklin County, Virginia]], the film was released in 2012.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/aug/26/lawless-nick-cave-interview|title=Nick Cave: 'Lawless is not so much a true story as a true myth'|author=Sean O'Hagan|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=22 September 2014}}</ref>

In 2016, Cave and Ellis scored the neo-Western film ''[[Hell or High Water (film)|Hell or High Water]]'', directed by [[David Mackenzie (director)|David Mackenzie]]. The following year, they scored [[Taylor Sheridan]]'s neo-Western ''[[Wind River (film)|Wind River]]'', as well as Australian director [[David Michôd]]'s ''[[War Machine (2017 film)|War Machine]]''.

Cave and Ellis have also scored a number of documentary films, including ''[[The English Surgeon]]'' (2007), ''[[West of Memphis]]'' (2012), ''[[Prophet's Prey]]'' (2015) and ''[[The Velvet Queen]]'' (2021). Cave and Ellis created music for the Icelandic theatre group [[Vesturport]] productions ''[[Woyzeck]]'', ''[[The Metamorphosis]]'' and ''[[Faust]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Faust inspired by Goeth|url=http://vesturport.com/theater/faust/|website=[[Vesturport]]|date=13 November 2009|access-date=6 December 2013}}</ref>