Nick Cave is to Australian music as Gough Whitlam is to Australian politics – integral and indelibly intertwined. His band work as much as his solo performances are road signs on the journey through Aussie music for the last 20 plus years. This will be a cracking concert performance. From the press release:

Nick Cave: triple j’s Tribute is an all-Australian, all-star tribute concert to the brilliant career and music of Nick Cave.

Nick has been a major figure in Australian independent music for more than 30 years, and this special program will traverse material from his career with bands The Birthday Party, Boys Next Door, The Bad Seeds and Grinderman.

His prolific amount of work – including ‘Red Right Hand’, ‘Into My Arms’, ‘Where The Wild Roses Grow’ and ‘Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!’ – have made him the most continually played artist on triple j across three decades, and ensured his regular appearance in the Hottest 100s. Now Australian musicians are lining up to get involved in this tribute to the man himself.

A house band, led by Cameron Bruce, will back 12 guest singers, including Dan Sultan, Bertie Blackman, Lisa Mitchell, Adalita (Magic Dirt), Jake Stone (Bluejuice), Jae Laffer (The Panics) and Kram (Spiderbait), who will each cover a couple of Nick Cave songs.

Nick Cave: Triple J’s Tribute – Thu 26/01 9:30pm, ABC2.