The new book Experiencing Nirvana: Grunge in Europe, 1989 is a collection of the personal photographs of Sub Pop Records co-founder Bruce Pavitt as he traveled with the band – as well as fellow Seattle rockers Mudhoney and Tad – on an eight-day tour abroad. The set features some of the earliest existing photos of Nirvana in action, only months after the release of their debut album Bleach, and two years before the band went on to change the course of rock history with Nevermind.

"I was going through these photos with a friend of mine, and I really wanted to share them with the general public," Pavitt told BuzzFeed. "The more I went through them, the more I realized it wasn't just a ragtag collection of photos. It actually told a story, and I thought the story was really inspiring. It's the classic story of a young, struggling artist working outside the system, facing challenges, and ultimately succeeding. It's kind of a hero's journey."