Unplugged: Nirvana Re-imagined to go global after Perth success

AN ORCHESTRAL re-imagining of Nirvana’s iconic grunge rock could be set for an international encore after a second performance in Perth on Friday night.

Perth Symphony Orchestra’s bold “Unplugged: Nirvana Re-imagined”, which features End of Fashion frontman Justin Burford as the late Kurt Cobain, was a smash hit last year and is close to selling out for Friday’s return gig at His Majesty’s Theatre.

Creative director and producer Bourby Webster said there had been interest internationally in the show since last year and she hoped to explore global opportunities soon.

“I’ve been travelling to the US and Britain talking to people and this particular show sparked a huge amount of interest because it is so fresh and different,” Ms Webster said.

“I won’t let it go until I’m super-proud of it and Justin is key to it. But people have been asking when we were going to do it again and that tells me it’s not a fluke.”

Using Nirvana’s legendary MTV Unplugged in New York as inspiration, which took place just five months before Cobain’s death in 1994, the show blows up songs from that concert and from Nirvana’s wider discography. The charts were written by award-winning arranger Ash Gibson Grieg and the orchestra is conducted by Jessica Gethin.

“It’s the music of an iconic band like you’ve never heard it before — completely re-imagined, but fricking awesome,” Ms Webster said.

“It’s on a huge scale with loads of sound. I’m always looking for ideas so we can showcase what an orchestra is capable of and that it isn’t an old-fashioned, stuck in a pigeon-hole thing.”

Burford feted Cobain in his youth and had even styled his hair to look more like him.

He described the show as the “million-dollar idea” and said it was a surreal experience to perform the music of his hero.

“It can be a pretty dark place to channel Kurt,” Burford said.

“But a lot of people don’t realise what a funny guy he was. So I also have a lot of fun with it, like with smart-alec wise-cracks. It feels like you’ve got this gigantic force of sound behind you, which is at the same time comforting and terrifying.”