Nick Cave tours Europe, conquers world?

It sure seems like the mysterious, mustachioed Australian known as Nick Cave is trying to take over the planet via an endless onslaught of new (and awesome) material. After a year in which he released the well-received, self-titled Grinderman debut and scored an acclaimed film, the prolific quinquagenarian is strutting into 2008 armed with a new album and his first European tour in over three years.

As we reported earlier this month, the 11-track album—the group's fourteenth studio release—emerges in the U.K. on March 3 and, on a Mayflower-esque schedule, lands on U.S. shores about five weeks later, on April 8. Mute, the band's U.K. label, is releasing a series of droll, appetite-whetting teaser videos in anticipation of the album. Here's the third one, "Is There Spirits in the Room?":

Cave's not just infiltrating global consciousness through his own bands, soundtracks and short films, though. Yesterday, British music mag NME reported that legendary one-man-blues-band Seasick Steve "has already laid down a track with Grinderman—possibly for his new album which is due out later this year."

If it's true that the reign of Cave is imminent, at least we know we'll be marching behind the man in style, if the video for the title track/ first single off the new Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, is any indication.

Help Cave establish his dominance at any of these European tour dates (tickets go on sale Friday, Feb. 1):

April
21 - Lisbon @ Coliseum
22 - Porto @ Coliseum
24 - San Sebastian @ Polideportivo Anoeta
25 - Barcelona @ Razzmatazz
26 - Marseilles @ Docks Du Suds
28 - Amsterdam @ Music Hall
29 - Paris @ Casino Du Paris

May
1 - Brussels @ Forest National
3 - Dublin @ Castle
4 - Glasgow @ Academy
5 - Birmingham @ Academy
7 - London @ Hammersmith Apollo
16 - Oslo @ Spektrum
17 - Stockholm @ Annexe
19 - Copenhagen @ KB Halle
21 - Berlin @ Tempodrom
24 - Prague @ Sazka Arena
25 - Vienna @ Gasometer

June
3 - Zagreb @ IN Music Festival
4 - Belgrade @ Arena
6 - Salonika @ Mondayi Lazariston
7 - Athens @ Lycabetus Theatre

Related links:
NickCaveandtheBadSeeds.com
Daily Mail: Woman pays £70,000 to karaoke "Bootylicious" with Nick Cave
Cave's 1996 award-rejection letter to MTV

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