Arles honours Nick Cave and Kenny Gates, [PIAS]

30 July 2025 - Press release

 

On the morning of July 26, 2025, the French city of Arles awarded musician, writer, composer, performer, and artist Nick Cave with two honours.

At the beautiful City Hall, and ahead of Cave’s concert later that evening during the Les Escales du Cargo festival – an event co-produced by [PIAS] – Mayor Patrick de Carolis presented Cave with the City of Arles Medal–a civic honour recognising his exceptional artistic contributions over decades and his special ties to Arles. Cave was then awarded the prestigious Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters)–a distinguished French cultural accolade–by Bertrand Burgalat, president of the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.

Mayor de Carolis also awarded the City of Arles Medal of Honour to Kenny Gates, co-founder of [PIAS]– also Nick Cave’s label home–and long-time partner of Harmonia Mundi, Arles' flagship and world-renowned classical label.

That evening, under the stars, Nick Cave performed solo, accompanied only by Colin Greenwood (Radiohead, The Bad Seeds), delivering a minimalistic but powerful and emotionally charged set focused on piano and bass. The historic Théâtre Antique amplified that intimacy–every note, every word, every cry carried just a little more weight. Cave transformed the theatre into a spiritual stage, and everyone leaned in for the embrace.