Updated

Updated · Billboard · Aug 2

Kylie Minogue Rejoins Nick Cave for 1995 Duet in Brighton as Song Returns After 7 Years

Updated

Updated · Billboard · Aug 2

Kylie Minogue Rejoins Nick Cave for 1995 Duet in Brighton as Song Returns After 7 Years

Q: How did a secret rooftop gig and a classic murder ballad duet instantly turn a standard UK concert into music history?

It became music history because Brighton got two rare events in one day: an unannounced rooftop set full of deep cuts, then a live reunion of Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave on their signature 1995 duet, “Where the Wild Roses Grow,” during Cave’s hometown-style headline show. The rooftop appearance at Resident Music had the feel of a one-off collector’s moment. Cave and the Bad Seeds played only four songs, but the choices mattered: “Train Long-Suffering” had not been performed live for 27 years before this tour, and their take on T. Rex’s “Cosmic Dancer” was notable because Cave had previously only sung it solo. That made the afternoon set more than a stunt; it signaled a day of unusual, archival-grade performances. The evening concert at Preston Park then delivered the bigger shock. Minogue emerged mid-set to sing “Where the Wild Roses Grow,” the band’s most commercially successful single and one of the defining murder ballads of the 1990s. It was the first time Minogue and Cave had performed the song together live since 2019, and the first with the Bad Seeds since 2018. Because their joint performances have been so infrequent since the song’s release on *Murder Ballads*, each reunion carries added weight. That combination transformed a standard tour stop into a landmark live event: a Brighton “homecoming” for Cave, a deep-cut rooftop surprise for devoted fans, and a rare recreation of a song that remains central to both artists’ histories.

3 articles · Updated · Billboard · Aug 2

Brighton’s Preston Park crowd saw Kylie Minogue join Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds for “Where the Wild Roses Grow,” their first live performance of the 1995 duet together since 2019.
Minogue entered midway through Friday’s set for the murder-ballad, which the Bad Seeds had not played live since 2018 and which the pair had previously revived in 2013 and the mid-1990s.
Instagram carried Minogue’s reaction after the show, with the singer calling it a “wonderful night” and thanking the band while nodding to her white rose-embellished dress by Susie Cave.
Earlier Friday, the Bad Seeds also played a surprise four-song rooftop set at Brighton’s Resident Music, including “Train Long-Suffering,” revived this year after a 27-year live absence.
The duet remains one of Australian music’s signature collaborations, reaching No. 2 in Australia, No. 11 in the UK and helping make Murder Ballads the band’s biggest commercial success.