21 years on from his untimely death, Nirvana’s iconic frontman Kurt Cobain is still very much alive in the hearts and minds of music fans the world over.
He is the poster boy from the grunge generation, an almost mythical creature whose power and influence remains strong despite the fact he never reached his 28th birthday. Much has been written about his drug addiction and his death, but for many the fascination lies within learning about the man behind the music.
Former End Of Fashion frontman Justin Burford takes audiences on that journey of discovery in Kurt. The show debuted at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in 2012 and this year was chosen to appear as part of the Hayes Theatre Co’s Cabaret Season. The intimate setting of the theatre was the ideal backdrop for this type of performance. It aided Burford’s attempts to make the audience feel like it had a backstage pass into Cobain’s world. He chronicled the life and times of the young musician while mastering his mannerisms, stance and accent.
Throughout the hour-long show, Burford embodied the spirit of the troubled singer, never breaking character for a moment. He weaved tales from his childhood and adolescence (all excerpts from Cobain’s journals and interviews) and segued between songs with ease. He recounted meeting his future wife Courtney Love for the first time and the joy (and fear) he felt at the idea of becoming a father. Burford captured Cobain’s self-deprecating sense of humour when recalling being teased by Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna for smelling of girl’s deodorant after kisses from his then-girlfriend Tobi Vail: “She taunted me and spray-painted ‘Kurt smells like Teen Spirit’ on my wall.”
Insights into the mind of this musical genius continued thick and fast, as the band played hit after hit. ‘Come As You Are’, ‘Rape Me’ and ‘Lithium’ had the crowd unified in chorus as we were transported back to grunge’s glory days. To emulate the sound of these sacred recordings, Burford was joined onstage by guitarist Phil Ceberano, bassist Nick Sinclair and Ben Issacson on drums.
In a world littered with cheap imitations, this was one tribute even Love might approve of.
4/5 stars
Kurt was reviewed at Hayes Theatre Co on Friday June 19.
