Nick Cave has shared insight on his political outlook, and said that he is “neither on the left nor on the right” as he finds both sides “unrecognisable”.
The singer-songwriter took to his own website The Red Hand Files to share his stance on the world of politics right now, and opened up about the topic when a fan from Australia reached out saying that they had a disagreement with a friend over where they think he “stands on things”.
Cave shared a lengthy response to the fan, and began by saying that it isn’t a clear-cut as one would hope.
“I’m not entirely sure where I stand on anything these days. As the ground shifts and slides beneath us, and the world hardens around its particular views, I become increasingly uncertain and less self-assured,” he wrote. “I am neither on the left nor on the right, finding both sides, as they mainly present themselves, indefensible and unrecognisable.”
He added that if he were to sum up his stance into one title, it would be “a liberal-leaning, spiritual conservative with a small ‘c’”, and added that it is less of a political stance and rather “a matter of temperament”.
Going on to outline how he thinks mankind is “more than mere atoms crashing into each other”, he said that he sees the world around him as “broken but beautiful”, and thinks it is everyone’s “urgent and moral duty to repair it where we can and not to cause further harm, or worse, wilfully usher in its destruction”.
“I believe we have an obligation to assist those who are genuinely marginalised, oppressed, or sorrowful in a way that is helpful and constructive and not to exploit their suffering for our own professional advancement or personal survival,” he continued, saying that his own experience of loss has led to him wanting to be more “cautious with the world and try to treat all its inhabitants with care”.
Nick Cave, on being asked his ‘position on things’ in the latest Red Hand Files:
Dear Alistair,
I acknowledge that this may be, to you and your friends, an unhelpful admission, but I’m not entirely sure where I stand on anything these days. As the ground shifts and slides…— John Baptist (@ba5tardeyes) September 30, 2025
Recommended
Later in his response, Cave shared that he is “constitutionally resistant to moral certainty, herd mentality and dogma”, adding: “I am disturbed on a fundamental level by the self-serving, toddler politics of some of my counterparts – I do not believe that silence is violence, complicity, or a lack of courage, but rather that silence is often the preferred option when one does not know what they are talking about, or is doubtful, or conflicted – which, for me, is most of the time.
“I am mainly at ease with not knowing and find this a spiritually and creatively dynamic position. I believe that there are times when it is almost a sacred duty to shut the fuck up.”
He also outlined why he will not sever ties with people due to where they stand politically, adding that he takes “pride and immense pleasure in having friends with divergent views”.
“I suppose, in the end, I value deeds over words,” he concluded. “I am now beginning to understand where I do stand – I stand with the world, in its goodness and beauty. In these hysterical, monochromatic, embattled times, I call to its soul […] I sing to it, praise it, encourage it, and strive to improve it – in adoration, reconciliation, and leaping faith.”
The stance Cave outlined in his Red Hand Files response coincides with the comments he shared with NME back in 2023, when he told us about how he realised there is “no metric that says virtuousness makes good art”.
“I don’t think that it’s an accident, or it seems to me that there is some correlation between transgressive and bad behaviour and good art. It’s no accident that the really great stuff is often made by the most problematic people,” he said. “If you start looking around for the good people who make good art, the conversation shuts down very quickly. All the great stuff seems to be made by people who are in some way, out of order in some way or another.”
“Art is in its essence good – it’s morally good. It doesn’t matter where it’s coming from, if you’re putting this particular force out into the world then it is for its betterment. That’s why I don’t particularly care where my art comes from,” he added. “It doesn’t bother me if someone wears a For Britain badge [Morrissey] or is an anti-semite or whatever and they’re making extraordinary music.
“One some level I don’t care. It’s not that I agree with their politics, which I don’t, I just think that what they’re putting into the world [with music] is essentially good so it should be encouraged.”
Around that same time, he got in touch with a fan who asked out his political stance and opened up about holding centrist political views, saying that he doesn’t “really know about anything for sure”.
Before then, he laid out his argument in favour of freedom of speech, and said that listening to opposing ideas makes for a healthier society and can be used as a tool to “liberate the soul of our world”.
He made a similar point in an interview with The Guardian last year, when he criticised woke culture for its “lack of mercy” and “lack of forgiveness”. In 2020, he got in touch with a fan to explain why he has an aversion to bringing politics into his lyrics.
“Perhaps the thing you enjoy about my songs is that they are conflicted, and often deal in uncertainties and ambiguities. My better songs seem to be engaged in an interior struggle between opposing outlooks or states of mind. They rarely settle on anything. My songs sit in that liminal space between decided points of view,” he said.
“Songs with political agendas inhabit a different space. They have little patience for nuance, neutrality or impartiality. Their aim is to get the message across in as clear and persuasive a manner as possible. There can be great value in these sorts of songs, but they are usually born from a particular combination of rigidity and zealousness, which I personally do not possess.”
Last week, Cave received an Honorary Doctorate from the Royal College of Art for his contributions to music and literature, and made a rousing speech to commemorate the occasion.
The honour came just days after he and The Bad Seeds announced a huge homecoming gig at Brighton’s Preston Park next year, celebrating the release of his acclaimed 2024 album ‘Wild God’.
They will play there on July 31 2026, and the date is so far their only UK headline show of 2026. “I am thrilled beyond words to return to my beloved Brighton with The Bad Seeds to play Preston Park,” Cave said, announcing the gig. “It’s a homecoming! It’s going to be big, bad and beautiful. An epic show!!!” You can buy tickets here.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.