He tosses his lyric sheet into the air with a flourish after each song. Then he's up again, swaggering, pointing, punctuating those words. It looks as if the threads of that black suit of his are straining to contain the pointy angles of the thorny creature inside it ... .
This sold-out two night stand at the picture palace might have been billed as a solo show, not the Cave and the Bad Seeds who ripped the roof off the St James back in 2005 or Grinderman, the guitar band which he had as a two-album diversionary tactic in recent years.
And this tour might have followed Push the Sky Away, one of Cave's most contemplative and cohesive albums, nearly all of which is performed in the two hours on stage
But there no danger of this feeling like a recital, even if Cave spends a good deal of the evening at the piano with often minimal accompaniment from his four musicians - multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis, bassist Martyn P. Casey, keyboardist Barry Adamson and drummer Thomas Wydler, all Bad Seeds veterans who feature on Push.
Many of those Push songs are, musically, all restraint and foggy textures which put Cave's voice and words in stark relief, not big Bad Seeds rockers.
But when Cave first emerges to entreat "I hope you're listening, are ya?" over the throbbing opening song We Real Cool, it promises an intense experience to come. And it is, throughout.
It's also entertaining and funny too. Especially when Cave encounters a front row fan who reminds him of himself as a younger man. Or when he discusses with his congregation about which hymn should be next.
"We can do anything," he offers after the "ancient mid-period Cave" of God is in the House, " ... anything that is on this rather short list up here."
That extends to nearly two-dozen songs including the encore. Stripped back, many of the older anthems regain a fresh edge.
The stormy death row ode of The Mercy Seat near the end of the main set crackles and sparks as Cave attacks it with just voice and pounding piano; From Her To Eternity, the title track from Cave 1984's first album under his own name, is howled to the heavens while being scorched by the violin feedback of Ellis.
Add the deep dark of stomp of Cave and band on the warped gothic blues likes of Up Jumped the Devil or The Lyre of Orpheus and the night certainly doesn't lack for rock'n'roll kick.
But if it has its exorcisms of old demons, it is something of a seance too. The haunting songs off Push - including the lilting title track which finishes the night on a very sweet note - make this a Cave performance that's as chilling as it is thrilling.
It is rare proof, too, that some things can be better in 3D.
