Lorde, Joan Jett, Kim Gordon and St. Vincent's performance in Nirvana paid tribute to the essence of the grunge group's ethos says the bassist, before linking back to issues concerning women’s representation in politics

Bassist Krist Novoselic has said that the decision to have an all-female fronted Nirvana at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction last week paid tribute to the grunge group's ethos.

In a message left on his personal site This Is Krist Novoselic, the musician detailed why the remaining members of Nirvana enlisted Joan Jett to sing Smells Like Teen Spirit, Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon to take on Aneurysm, St. Vincent to perform the lead on Lithium, and Lorde on All Apologies.

The blog post, titled Punk Rock Gender Parity, explains that the acts were chosen “as Joan Jett and Kim Gordon are matriarchs of Punk Rock, while St. Vincent and Lorde represent the powerful up-and-coming women in Rock”. He adds that he and Dave Grohl felt that it would be an apt tribute to both Kurt Cobain and "what Nirvana was about".

As well as admitting that Jett was first on his list for the performance, Novoselic wrote, "I feel we conjured the spirit of the band, and we could not have done that alone. This, for me, is a bittersweet notion as we all miss Kurt so much. But considering we were inducted, the show had to go on."

He also stepped into a "political realm", linking the band’s choice to have a female fronted Nirvana to issues concerning women’s representation in politics, posting a video which calls for parity for women in office.

Our “all female” Hall of Fame set also had me thinking about the political realm (Imagine that!) At FairVote we have done a report regarding the state of women’s representation. I will have more to say about this, especially how at-large districts tend to put more women in office, at another time.

Novoselic is currently Chair of the Board of Directors at FairVote, a non-profit organisation which acts as a catalyst for electoral reform and voting rights through regular engagement with scholars, journalists, civic leaders, policymakers, and state and local reformers.

• For videos of the Nirvana reunion performances, head over to the music blog