Augie March and Romy Vager from RVG have joined forces on a cover of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ ‘Henry Lee’ – listen to it below.
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The original track by Cave and the Bad Seeds, with guest vocals from PJ Harvey and production by Tony Cohen, already stood as a re-imagining of the traditional Scottish folk song ‘Young Hunting’, which tells the story of a young woman who killed an unrequited love and threw his body in the river. Performing it in 1999 on BBC’s Songwriting Circle, Cave said it was “a story about the fury of a scorned woman.” Cave and the Bad Seeds’ take on it was released on his album ‘Murder Ballads’ in 1996.
While Augie March and Vager’s rendition keep the same lyrics and sorrowful tone, its driving drum-beats and fresh vocals push it into more indie rock territory. The effect is more upbeat yet just as devastating. Hear it below:
The track is the fifth song in a series of remixes of iconic Australian tracks originally recorded by Tony Cohen over the decades. It comes six months after the release of his acclaimed posthumous memoir, HALF DEAF, COMPLETELY MAD: The Chaotic Genius of Australia’s Most Legendary Producer. Others include Grant McLennan’s ‘Easy Come, Easy Go’ covered by Leah Senior, Beasts of Bourbon’s ‘Chase the Dragon’ re-imagined by CIVIC, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ ‘Straight to You’ reworked by Grace Cummings and The Boys Next Door’s ‘Shivers’ covered by Julia Jacklin.
“These recordings highlight unique Australian artists and are a continuation of Tony’s career supporting independent music,” memoir co-author John Olson said in a statement.
Both RVG and Augie March are busy for the rest of 2023: RVG’s European tour in support of their recent album ‘Brain Worms’ starts in Manchester tomorrow (November 9), while Augie March are at the final stages of recording their upcoming album, which is set for release in early 2024.