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Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Bask in ‘Higgs Boson Blues’ for ‘Austin City Limits’

Nick Cave

In what feels like an exceedingly appropriate premiere for Halloween, the folks at Austin City Limits have unveiled a web-exclusive clip of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds performing “Higgs Boson Blues” (taken from 2013’s Push The Sky Away). Recorded for the live-music series last July, the video is an extra from Nick & the Seeds’ hour-long set, which will air (in edited form) on PBS on Saturday, November 1. But just in case you want to watch the Prince of Darkness scowl onstage — and, uh, toss in a few words about Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus — here’s your chance. 

Dressed all in black, with the front of his sparkling shirt unbuttoned, Nick serenades the audience as only the king of noir-rock can. Which is to say, with his perpetually furrowed brow in a knot while singing lines like, “If I die tonight / Bury me in my favorite yellow patent leather shoes,” and “The Hannah Montana does the African Slide / While the simulated rainy season begins.” (Never change, Nick.)

Sell your immortal soul to Beelzebub — er, we mean watch Nick’s “Higgs Boson Blues” performance above, scan the show’s set list below, and check your local listings for the episode’s air-time on PBS. And for more exclusive ACL performance videos, watch Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play “Stagger Lee” on Stereogum and “Jubilee” on PureVolume.

Nick Cave’s Austin City Limits set list:

1. “Jubilee Street”
2. “Tupelo”
3. “Red Right Hand”
4. “Mermaids”
5. “From Her to Eternity”
6. “Love Letter”
7. “God Is In The House”
8 “The Mercy Seat”
9. “Push The Sky Away”