Nick Cave thrills Brighton with secret rooftop show ahead of only UK gig

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds gave an unannounced performance on the roof of Resident Records in Brighton, drawing a large crowd to the narrow Kensington Gardens street. The show came ahead of the band's only advertised UK concert of 2026, scheduled for Preston Park.

The rooftop appearance was part of a broader takeover of the city, including a film season at Duke of York's Picturehouse curated by Cave, a pop-up shop with exclusive items, and a postbox for letters to The Red Hand Files. Even Brighton train station announcements were temporarily replaced by Cave's voice welcoming visitors.

By mid-morning the street was packed. Some fans had been tipped off a day earlier, while others came hoping to buy a special picture disc that had already sold out and was being resold online for £60. The crowd spilled into a neighbouring vintage market, trapping shoppers.

Many in attendance had travelled from Germany, Norway, France, and further afield. A couple from Oslo said they were seeing four shows of the band's 32-date European tour. Lisa, from Edinburgh, noted that Cave had lived in Brighton for a long time and moved after the death of his son Arthur in 2015, making the show poignant.

Cave's recent output has been among the most praised of his career, from the album Ghosteen to the documentary One More Time With Feeling and the interview book Faith Hope and Carnage. He has also generated debate through his opposition to the cultural boycott of Israel, without hurting ticket sales. The band began playing arenas as their sound became more abstract with Skeleton Tree, though one fan suggested some crowds were drawn by familiarity with the song Red Right Hand from Peaky Blinders.

The rooftop set mixed older material like Train Long Suffering with a piano version of T. Rex's Cosmic Dancer. With seven musicians and four backing singers on a small balcony, the performance was chaotic but committed. Cave leaned over the rail for call-and-response moments and sang Henry Lee as a duet with Janet Ramus. A fan from Norway recalled a show in Antwerp where Cave played for two and a half hours in a three-piece suit during a heatwave.

The set closed with Papa Won't Leave You, Henry. Police arrived shortly afterwards, apparently because the performance was not officially sanctioned, but by then the crowd had already begun moving toward Preston Park.