When Nirvana Came to Britain documentary is coming to BBC Two
Charting the band's visits between 1989 and 1994
The BBC is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Nirvana’s seminal second album ‘Nevermind’ later this month with a new documentary called When Nirvana Came to Britain.
Produced by Wise Owl Films and featuring interviews with Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, the 60-minute programme will be screened on BBC Two.
When Nirvana Came to Britain follows the band’s visits to the UK between 1989 and 1994 – a time when Nirvana helped change the face of rock music and influenced a generation of British youth.
The documentary begins with Nirvana’s inaugural tour of the UK, which they opened at Newcastle Riverside on 23rd October 1989, before exploring historic Nirvana shows in Britain and their landmark TV appearances on The Word and Top of the Pops.
Featuring unseen archive footage and home video clips filmed by the band themselves, When Nirvana Came to Britain also revisits the little-known British locations that played a surprising role in Nirvana’s story.
These include the London guest house they regularly stayed at - the Dalmacia Hotel on Shepherds Bush Road, outside which photographer Martyn Goodacre took his famous shots of the band in 1990 - to the small Edinburgh pub where they once played a surprise acoustic gig to just 30 people.
Alongside Nirvana’s Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, other people interviewed for the documentary include members of Nirvana’s British tour crew, their UK publicist Anton Brookes, Jo Whiley, Steve Lamacq, booking agent Russell Warby, and George Krivosic, former manager of the Dalmacia Hotel.
Dave Grohl says: “The UK definitely responded to Nirvana much more, before America. You guys were the first with everything…we cut our teeth there.
“After touring the UK I remember going back to America to the same bars and clubs where we were playing to 99 people…150 people…it was definitely not like what it was in the UK. It really is like a second home.”
Reflecting upon Nirvana’s first UK visit in autumn 1989 in support of their debut album ‘Bleach’, Krist Novoselic adds: “I’d never been to Great Britain. We got off the plane and we were in this different world.”
Mark Robinson, Executive Producer of When Nirvana Came To Britain, says: “Nirvana’s relationship with Britain really was a two-way trade-off. Nirvana were inspired by bands like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin and championed British groups like The Raincoats and The Vaselines – but their brand of rock was to have a huge influence on the sounds coming out of the British music scene in the 90s.
“This story has never been told on TV before, so it’s been fascinating to hear it from Dave and Krist themselves, as well as the people who literally went on the journey with them, as they toured the UK.”
Released on 24th September 1991, ‘Nevermind’ has sold over 30 million copies worldwide over the past three decades.
Last week it emerged that Spencer Elden, the man who appeared on Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ cover when he was a baby, is suing the band for child sexual exploitation.
Kurt Cobain's life in pictures:
Kurt’s childhood home in Aberdeen, Washington
His parents Wendy and Donald Cobain bought the house in 1969 when Kurt was two and he lived there until they separated when he was nine.
Kurt with younger sister by three years Kimberly in the mid 1970s
Kurt celebrates a childhood birthday with his family
Kurt and Kimberly stand outside their Aberdeen home
When their parents split in 1976, Kurt went to live with his father and Kim lived with her mother.
Showcasing an early talent for music, Kurt plays piano at his childhood home
Kurt’s attic bedroom pictured in 2013
More than a quarter of a century after Kurt last habited the room, his graffiti – including an Iron Maiden logo – still adorns the walls.
Led Zeppelin graffiti Kurt penned on his bedroom wall
An Aberdeen Junior High School photo of a young Kurt Cobain
A teenage Kurt at his Washington home
Kurt playing guitar in his attic room
His walls are decorated with Black Flag and hardcore punk band Dr. Know gig posters.
May 1986: Kurt was arrested aged 19
He was arrested for trespassing on an abandoned building in Market Street, Aberdeen. He was also arrested a year earlier for spray painting on pick-up trucks.
1991: Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl in London
August 1991: Nirvana perform at Reading Festival
September 1991: A 'Nevermind' launch show at New York’s Tower Records
5th November 1991: Kurt onstage at Nirvana’s sold-out gig at The Astoria Theatre in London
November 1991: Kurt crowdsurfing in Frankfurt, Germany
1991: Kurt at Hilversum Studios, Holland
1991: Kurt at Hilversum Studios, Holland
August 1992: The Kerrang! Magazine cover featured a very sombre Kurt
It included a play on The Smiths lyrics 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now'.
December 1993: A second Kerrang! Magazine cover
16 months later and the tone of the cover is very different with the title: 'Hugs Not Drugs! Kurt Gets Happy!'.
1992: Kurt performing live in a maid’s outfit
1992: Nirvana at the MTV Video Music Awards
August 1992: Nirvana’s legendary Reading Festival performance
9th April 1993: Kurt on-stage with Nirvana at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California
Appearing alongside L7 and The Breeders, the gig was a Bosnian Rape Victim Benefit.
July 1993: Performing at the Roseland Ballroom, New York
1993: Kurt with his wife Courtney Love and one-year-old daughter Frances Bean at the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles
Kurt and Courtney married in Hawaii in March 1992 with Kurt infamously wearing his pyjamas to the ceremony!
1993: Kurt at the MTV VMAs ceremony, Los Angeles
1993: At the 10th annual MTV Video Music Awards
Nirvana pose with director Kevin Kerslake after receiving an award for best alternative video for 'In Bloom' at the 10th annual MTV Video Music Awards.
Kurt pretends to pick his nose with daughter Frances Bean
November 1993: Recording Nirvana’s legendary MTV Unplugged session
December 1993: Performing at MTV Live and Loud, Seattle
February 1994: Live at The Palace, Melbourne
25th February 1994: Nirvana live at Palatrussardi indoor arena in Milan Italy
Their last ever gig took place at Terminal 1 in Munich, Germany six days later.
April 1994: Kurt Cobain dies
171 Lake Washington Blvd East Seattle, Washington, the site of Cobain's death.
16th April 1994: The Kerrang! Magazine cover, 11 days after the Nirvana’s legend’s untimely death
The Sonic Youth t-shirt Kurt wore at Nirvana’s final live performance in Munich, March 1994
The garment was auctioned at the Hard Rock Café in London in July 2012.
2011: A small park in Aberdeen was named ‘Kurt Cobain Landing’ in Kurt’s honour
This plaque quoting Something In The Way lyrics overlooks the Wishkah River.