Mr Nick Cave is an Australian rock star, sensationally good at his job in my musical opinion, blessed with the looks of a vampire and possessed of a remarkable talent, at his best, for writing up a lyrical storm and riding on it with great baritone flair. When I last saw Cave in concert with his longtime band, the mean-as-blazes Bad Seeds, he seemed to stand at least eight-feet-tall on the stage — matching suit, black hair swept back, face white as chalk — looking out with unalloyed pleasure at the enthusiastic crowd in my New Zealand hometown of Wellington.

Well,...