Yes, Spotify really did claim Nirvana are doing a gig next month.


Former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic has issued a hilarious response after Spotify accidentally claimed Nirvana are playing a new concert in August.

Nirvana fan Tony Pierce had spotted “news” of a Nirvana gig happening when he was sent an alert by Spotify. Spotify’s alerts tell you when a concert is happening by users’ favourite artists.

The link claimed Nirvana were due to be playing on August 9 at the tiny 450-capacity club Discovery in Ventura, California.

Advertisement I could make this show, but will take some work to pull it off. Otherwise, I do have gigs in August —— Check out https://t.co/p1SOxO1HmC for time and place. https://t.co/4BnzrUTdrW — Krist Novoselić (@KristNovoselic) July 25, 2019

Pierce tweeted Spotify, saying: “Dear @Spotify – are you having an aneurysm?”

Novoselic spotted the message and responded with a quote-tweet. Referring to Kurt Cobain’s death in 1994, Novoselic wrote: “I could make this gig, but it will take some work to pull it off.”

He then took the opportunity to plug his current band Giants In The Trees, writing: “Otherwise, I do have gigs in August – check out giantsinthetrees.com for time and place.”

Giants In The Trees were formed by Novoselic in Washington DC in 2017 with fellow local musicians Jillian Raye, Ray Prestergard and Erik Friend. Their second album ‘Volume 2’ was released in March.

The band do indeed have five shows in August in the US, including a concert in Nirvana’s home city Seattle on August 20.

Since Cobain’s death in 1994, Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl have mainly avoided Nirvana reunion shows.

They have played five times together, joined by additional Nirvana guitarist Pat Smear. The first show was on December 12, 2012, when they guested at Paul McCartney’s Concert For Sandy Relief at New York’s Madison Square Gardens. They played new song ‘Cut Me Some Slack’.

The following year, the trio again played with McCartney at the encore of his show in Seattle.

When Nirvana were inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2014, guest singers Lorde, Joan Jett, St Vincent and Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon joined the trio for a four-song performance at the ceremony. That was followed by a full-show the same night at New York club St Vitus Bar with J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr and Deer Tick singer John McCauley the additional guest vocalists.

Nirvana then played at a Grammys party in 2016, when Beck sang lead vocals on a cover of David Bowie’s ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ , which Nirvana had previously covered on their ‘MTV Unplugged’ album.

Their most recent performance together was in 2018, when McCauley and Jett were guest singers as Nirvana played the finale of the Cal Jam festival in California.

Meanwhile, Nirvana’s live album ‘Live And Loud’ is released for the first time on vinyl and streaming services on August 30. It was recorded at local Seattle venue Pier 48 in 1993, shortly after their ‘MTV Unplugged’ show. Previously, ‘Loud And Live’ was only available as part of a box-set of their classic album ‘In Utero’.