Nirvana have been in the media again recently, firstly with the new documentary Montage of Heck, which explores the state of mind of Kurt Cobain through his animations sketches and home recordings. During the making of the documentary enough recordings were uncovered to release a ‘new’ Kurt Cobain solo album. To me it seems like the barrel is being well and truly scraped. I was lucky enough to see Nirvana play back in 1992 in the King’s Hall Belfast, so it’s been a long time with no Nirvana! Cue Negative Creeps, a Nirvana tribute act hailing from Newry, Northern Ireland. They have been touring Ireland and I thought I’d go check them out on their Derry leg of the tour.
Upstairs in Sandinos is quite a cosy venue, but it began to fill up well as the support DJ struggled with his equipment, blasting the punters with an unpleasant mix of Beatles, MC5 and white noise. So it was relief when the band stepped up to the stage.
The band kicked of their set with Aneurysm, sounding brutal and loud, heads were already banging and people moshing, this was going to be a energetic gig. Breed, About A Girl, Sliver, and Molly’s Lips followed in quick succession, the band encouraging people to come closer and they certainly did. People where getting on stage and moshing, the atmosphere in the room was electric. Floyd The Barber was played brilliantly, that sludge heavy sound reproduced perfectly in a small venue.
The band play tracks from all the Nirvana albums, Like Serve the Servants, Mr Moustache, Come As You Are so there’s something for every fan. Towards the end of the set the room was on fire, the crowd really getting into the spirit of it, I counted at least five people on stage just going for it, the band perfectly happy for them to mosh alongside them. The band played a great set, playing for an hour and a half or so, so you definitely get your money’s worth here.
A four track encore ended the fine set, with In Bloom followed by a rocking Territorial Pissings, Smells Like Teen Spirit and finally Tourettes. The room was a sweaty mess by the end of the set, and a lot of smiling faces. This is a great tribute act to see, they have the energy that Nirvana had at their early shows, good banter with the crowd and an all encompassing set.
They are continuing on their national tour, and you can catch them in Judge Roy Beans in Newbridge, with support from Keith Plunkett. On Saturday they hit Voodoo Lounge Dublin, with support from Solid Sun. Expect it to be loud! Come as you are!
Keep uptodate with Negative Creeps online and find more photos at Neil Carey Photography.
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