Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Wed 13 Mar 2013, Stubbs, SXSW 2013

Even after winning the ticket lottery, we still queued around the block to see Mr Cave, though the line moved fast once security started letting people through. I doubt many people in the longer queue next to ours, who had badges but no tickets, saw any of Mr Cave's set.

As soon as the band started, Mr Cave was prowling the forestage, leaning over the photographers and the audience and growling his tales of fire, pistols, and mortality. Behind him the band sounded like a thunderous choir, pounding their instruments as if they were furnace tools.

Mr Cave threw the photographers out after his first song and sang line after line directly at specific audience members. He pulled down right into the face of one man and then came back to him later in the same song to repeat the same line.

His wiry and tangled movements were really mesmerising and the Bad Seeds created wonderfully intense thunderous rumblings.

A incredible show - a truly charismatic performer with incredible presence backed by an awesome band completely in tune with his performance.