Live God
| Live God | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 5 December 2025 | |||
| Recorded | September–November 2024 | |||
| Venue | Accor Arena, Paris | |||
| Length | 84:12 (LP) 99:14 (CD / digital) | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Producer | ||||
| Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds chronology | ||||
| ||||
Live God is a live double album by the Australian band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It was released on 5 December 2025 on the labels Bad Seed Ltd. and PIAS Recordings and was produced by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.
Background and recording
Live God was recorded between September and November 2024 while the band was on tour in Europe in support of their album Wild God (2024).[1] The last show of that leg of the Wild God Tour was at the Accor Arena in Paris,[2] where they recorded at least some of the album, including "Wild God".[3]
In Live God, the Bad Seeds perform most of Wild God, interspersing the record with various songs from Cave's career.[1]
Promotion and release
On 22 October 2025, the band announced Live God and previewed the record with a video of their performance of "Wild God".[3] The album was later released on 5 December 2025 on the band's label Bad Seed Ltd. and PIAS Recordings. The CD and digital versions additionally contain "Long Dark Night" and "O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is)" from Wild God and "White Elephant" from the Nick Cave and Warren Ellis album Carnage (2021).[4]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 88/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Clash | 8/10[6] |
| Classic Rock | 7/10[7] |
| Classic Rock Italia | 8/10[8] |
| Hot Press | 9/10[9] |
| The Irish Times | [10] |
| Mojo | [2] |
| Spectrum Culture | 84%[11] |
| The Times | [12] |
| Uncut | 8/10[1] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Live God received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 from 5 critic scores.[5] In an 8 out of 10 review for Clash, Chris Connor said that the set "captures the breadth of sounds Cave has dabbled in" and that it "should entice anyone who hasn't had the chance to see the icon in concert, still with plenty of fire in his belly."[6]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Nick Cave; all music is composed by Cave and Warren Ellis.[13]
| No. | Title | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Frogs" | Wild God (2024) | 5:09 |
| 2. | "Wild God" | Wild God | 5:19 |
| 3. | "O Children" | Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus (2004) | 5:48 |
| 4. | "From Her to Eternity" | From Her to Eternity (1984) | 6:24 |
| 5. | "Long Dark Night" ([a]) | Wild God | 5:14 |
| 6. | "Cinnamon Horses" | Wild God | 5:24 |
| 7. | "Tupelo" | The Firstborn Is Dead (1985) | 7:57 |
| 8. | "Conversion" | Wild God | 5:51 |
| 9. | "Bright Horses" | Ghosteen (2019) | 5:22 |
| 10. | "Joy" | Wild God | 6:55 |
| 11. | "I Need You" | Skeleton Tree (2016) | 4:31 |
| 12. | "Carnage" | Carnage (2021) | 5:28 |
| 13. | "Red Right Hand" | Let Love In (1994) | 6:32 |
| 14. | "White Elephant" ([a]) | Carnage | 4:52 |
| 15. | "O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is)" ([a]) | Wild God | 4:56 |
| 16. | "Papa Won't Leave You, Henry" | Henry's Dream (1992) | 6:18 |
| 17. | "Into My Arms" | The Boatman's Call (1997) | 4:54 |
| 18. | "As the Waters Cover the Sea" | Wild God | 2:20 |
| Total length: | 99:14 | ||
Notes
Personnel
Musician credits are adapted from Uncut magazine,[1] with technical credits from Tidal.[13]
Musicians
- Nick Cave – vocals, piano
- Warren Ellis – violin, tenor guitar, synthesiser
- George Vjestica – guitar
- Colin Greenwood – bass
- Larry Mullins – drums, timpani, percussion
- Carly Paradis – keyboards
- Jim Sclavunos – percussion, vibraphone, tubular bells, drums
- Wendi Rose, Janet Ramus, T. Jae Cole, Miça Townshend – backing vocals, percussion
Technical
- Nick Cave, Warren Ellis – production, mixing
- Luis Almau – mixing
Charts
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] | 22 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[15] | 9 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] | 7 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[17] | 25 |
| Croatian International Albums (HDU)[18] | 5 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[19] | 22 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[20] | 95 |
| French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP)[21] | 4 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] | 14 |
| German Rock & Metal Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[23] | 4 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[24] | 53 |
| Irish Independent Albums (IRMA)[25] | 8 |
| Polish Albums (ZPAV)[26] | 11 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)[27] | 87 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[28] | 7 |
| Spanish Albums (Promusicae)[29] | 97 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] | 12 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[31] | 33 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[32] | 2 |
References
- ^ a b c d Stubbs, Stuart (5 December 2025). "New Albums: Dry Cleaning – Secret Love". Uncut. No. 347 (January 2026). Yalding, Kent, England: Kelsey Media. pp. 24–25. ISSN 1368-0722.
- ^ a b Doyle, Tom (8 December 2025). "Nick Cave Live God Review: Rapturous live set from Cave and crew". Mojo. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ a b Schube, Will (22 October 2025). "Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Announce New Concert Album Live God". Flood Magazine. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ^ a b Pearis, Bill (22 October 2025). "Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds announce new live album, share 'Wild God'". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ a b "Live God by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
- ^ a b Connor, Chris (3 December 2025). "Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Live God". Clash. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ Wilding, Philip (2 January 2026). "Reviews: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Live God". Classic Rock. No. 349 (February 2026). Future. p. 78. ISSN 1464-7834.
- ^ Guglielmi, Federico (14 November 2025). "Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Live God". Classic Rock Italia (in Italian). No. 150. Sprea S.p.A. p. 88. ISSN 2039-649X.
- ^ Walshe, John (5 December 2025). "Album Review: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Live God". Hot Press. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ Power, Ed (5 December 2025). "Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Live God review – A stunning double album. One of the greats". The Irish Times. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ Cober-Lake, Justin (11 December 2025). "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Live God". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ^ Hodgkinson, Will (27 November 2025). "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Live God review – at the height of his powers". The Times. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ a b "Live God / Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds / Credits". Tidal. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 15 December 2025. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Live God" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Live God" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Live God" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
- ^ "Lista prodaje 49. tjedan 2025. (01.12.2025. - 07.12.2025.)" [Sales list Week 49 2025] (in Croatian). HDU. 7 December 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Live God" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ "Top Albums (semaine du 12 décembre 2025)". Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "Top Rock & Metal Albums (semaine du 12 décembre 2025)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Live God" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts Top 20 Rock/Metal-Charts – 12 Dezember 2025" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts (Week 50, 2025)". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ "Irish Independent Chart – Week 50 2025 – Week Ending 19 Dec 2025". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 13 December 2025. Note: Select 12-Dec-25 on the date selector.
- ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista sprzedaży - albumy" (in Polish). OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Note: Change the date to 05.12.2025–11.12.2025 under "zmień zakres od–do:". Retrieved 18 December 2025.
- ^ "Top 200 Álbuns Semana 50 de 2025" (PDF) (in European Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. p. 4. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 12/12/2025 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ "Live God - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds". El portal de Música. Promusicae. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Live God". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart on 12/12/2025 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart on 12/12/2025 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 December 2025.