The ever-enigmatic singer Nick Cave has been on an interesting journey in recent years, increasingly dallying with notions of religion and tradition (he was a surprise guest at the King’s Coronation last year). But some fans aren’t along for the ride. A trans fan of Cave’s, named Jemma, recently reached out to him to say that they are finding his “religious turn and proselytising difficult”. “Don’t you feel you’re letting down, even alienating, your queer and female fans?” they asked.
Cave has now written a personal response on his blog, explaining his views and the reason he speaks about them in public. “If I write something that feels upsetting or alienating then please know that it is not written with animosity or disrespect,” he wrote. “If I sense that an artist is creating, saying or doing things just to win public approval, or to yield to the demands of the market, well, that’s when I tend to turn away… This is my way of putting before you my best and most authentic self.”
Cave’s conservative turn has led to discontent among some of his fans in recent years, especially after the release of his book Faith, Hope and Carnage in 2022, but he has said he is not afraid to “live outside the expectations of other people”. Cave has recently collaborated with Unherd, the Right-leaning media outlet founded by billionaire hedgefund manager Paul Marshall (also a major figure in GB News). In an interview with Unherd he said: “The idea that you can offend people, or that your songs can be dangerous enough for people to be scared of them, is exciting for me. It’s not something that I feel I need to shy away from.”
Truss’s tome flies off the shelves
It’s fair to say that Liz Truss’s new book has not been critically acclaimed, with The Times judging it to be as readable as the back of a crisp packet and other papers calling it “ludicrous” and “shamelessly unrepentant”. Yet the 49-day PM is enjoying some success where it really matters: sales. The book is currently at number 11 on Amazon’s bestseller list and within 72 hours of release, stock ran out. That is partly because of the small print run, just a few thousand copies — but we can hear the presses rolling again. Is Truss’s success in spite of all the mockery (Brits do love an underdog) or because of it? Probably the latter. But even if Ten Years To Save The West becomes the “ironic read” of the spring, a bestseller is a bestseller!
Susan Hall, self-proclaimed raver
In what might be remembered as her “fields of wheat” moment, yesterday Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall told the Evening Standard all about her younger days as a “raver”. While Hall said “my days of clubbing until four in the morning tend to have gone”, she didn’t rule out getting back “on the razzle” in future. Putting her money where her mouth is, Hall also promised to extend the Night Tube in order to help ravers get home. What is it with politicians and the dancefloor? Other boppers include Angela Rayner, who has boasted about a 12-hour vodka-fuelled rave, and Cabinet minister Michael Gove, who was filmed dancing the night away at an Aberdeen club in 2021.
Begging for clout ain’t Priti
Former home secretary Priti Patel has got a famous friend and she wants everyone to know about it. She posted this pic with her constituent Olly Murs on X yesterday, congratulating the singer on the birth of his daughter. “I am sure she won’t be a ‘troublemaker’ like her dad!” Patel joked, riffing on the title of one of his songs. The presence of a police officer in the photograph was left unexplained.
