Billie Joe Armstrong's live side project The Coverups played London's Garage last night (27 February) and they made their intimate covers gig a very special occasion indeed with a huge set that included Courtney Love joining them for Cheap Trick and Top Petty songs before Armstrong took the mic for a version of Nirvana's Drain You.
Love was in fiery form – and we're hoping this marks a proper comeback to the stage for her musically, though she joked "Grandma did not have her teleprompter" after her first guest appearance of the night on a righteous punk rock reading of Cheap Trick's He's A Whore. In addition to singing on a rendition of Tom Petty's Even The Losers, she later joined the band again for their penultimate song, a cover of Cheap Trick's Surrender.
Armstrong paid tribute to Love's late husband Kurt Cobain with an excellent version of Drain You, a combination that will be a treat for a lot of former '90s teens out there (myself included). "We're trying to get more contemporary," Armstrong said as he introduced follow-up song in the set, Last Nite, by The Strokes.
As far back as 1992, Billie Joe Armstrong was proclaiming his love for Nirvana's music and in 2014 likened their impact to the Beatles.
“You know, the guy just wrote beautiful songs," the Green Day vocalist and guitarist told Alternative Press. "When someone goes that honestly straight to the core of who they are, what they’re feeling, and was able to kind of put it out there, I don’t know, man, it’s amazing.
“I remember hearing it when Nevermind came out and just thinking, we’ve finally got our Beatles, this era finally got our Beatles, and ever since then it’s never happened again," he added. "That’s what’s interesting. I was always thinking maybe the next 10 years. OK, maybe the next 10 years, OK, maybe. … That was truly the last rock ‘n’ roll revolution.”
The Coverups will play the 100 Club in London on 1 March. Alongside Armstrong, the band features Pinhead Gunpowder's (and Green Day touring managaer) Bill Schneider on bass, Green Day touring guitarist Jason White and the band's audio engineer Chris Duggan on drums.
While Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt plays guitar in the Coverups he wasn't present at night's show from what we can see.
The Coverups full setlist for the 27 February show at the Garage was:
A Million Miles Away (The Plimsouls cover)
I Wanna Be Sedated (Ramones cover)
Ready Steady Go (Generation X cover)
I Think We're Alone Now (Tommy James & the Shondells cover)
Message Of Love (Pretenders cover)
Summer Of '69 (Bryan Adams cover)
Walking Out On Love (Paul Collins Beat cover)
I Fought The Law (The Crickets cover)
Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've) (Buzzcocks cover)
I'm So Bored With the USA (The Clash cover)
Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie cover)
Dancing With Myself (Generation X cover)
He's A Whore (Cheap Trick cover) (with Courtney Love)
Even The Losers (Tom Petty cover) (with Courtney Love)
Neat Neat Neat (The Damned cover)
Drain You (Nirvana cover)
Last Nite (The Strokes cover)
American Girl (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers cover)
Love Is For Losers (The Longshot cover)
Fox On The Run (Sweet cover)
Rockaway Beach (Ramones cover)
Should I Stay Or Should I Go (The Clash cover)
Surrender (Cheap Trick cover) (with Courtney Love)
Encore:
Where Eagles Dare (Misfits cover)
