Earlier this year, in July, Nick Cave released the concert film Idiot Prayer as an online stream.
Now, Cave has announced the film’s cinematic release. From 5 November, Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace will be available in cinemas worldwide. Furthermore, the film will be released as a live album on 20 November.
Shot in June, Idiot Prayer shows Cave performing solo at a piano in an empty Alexandra Palace. The film was captured as a result of the isolation and confinement of lockdown. In the film, he covers early Bad Seeds and Grinderman material, along with tracks from Ghosteen and other rarities from his back catalogue.
“The film Idiot Prayer evolved from my ‘Conversations With…’ events,” Cave said. “I loved playing deconstructed versions of my songs at these shows, distilling them to their essential forms. I felt I was rediscovering the songs all over again, and started to think about going into a studio and recording these reimagined versions at some stage – whenever I could find the time.”
“Then, the pandemic came – the world went into lockdown, and fell into an eerie, self-reflective silence. It was within this silence that I began to think about the idea of not only recording the songs, but also filming them.”
Read our interview with cinematographer Robbie Ryan, who filmed Nick Cave for Idiot Prayer.
