End Of Fashion Frontman Justin Burford’s Ultimate Nirvana Playlist

Performing an encore concert to last year’s sold out Unplugged: Nirvana Reimagined extravaganza, End Of Fashion’s Justin Burford will once again embody Kurt Cobain at His Majesty's Theatre on Sept 28.

Before Burford and the Perth Symphony Orchestra bring the band’s hits to life, the vocalist gave us his top Nirvana picks.

Aneurysm

This song has been a fave of mine since I can remember. I loved it as a teen fan and it was the first cover song End Of Fashion ever played live. Those dynamic shifts. That heavy groove. It’s a really weird arrangement, a testament to the band’s kookiness at heart. There are a few studio recordings of this song, most notably on Incesticide, but it’s the live versions you want to hear.

Lounge Act

Might be the slinkiest bass line Krist ever wrote. For me, it was always the standout among standouts on Nevermind. I think that last verse is the best Kurt scream/sing ever put to record.

Where Did You Sleep Last Night

There is so much atmosphere in that MTV Unplugged performance. All of that atmosphere culminated in Nirvana’s version of the Lead Belly traditional. That visceral ending of Kurt hanging on the lyric “shiver” truly is a goosebump moment. There was no way to top that and they knew it.

Come As You Are

Smells Like Teen Spirit will always be synonymous with Nirvana and the release of Nevermind, but this song is the album’s true masterpiece. This is Kurt’s songwriting at its best. Whimsical, haunting, melodic, heavy and with a dash of psychedelia, it manages to be all of these things at once. The way that riff counterpoints the almost nursery rhyme playfulness of the verses - it is perhaps the definitive example of a “Nirvana” song.

Tourette’s

Ok, I’m throwing this in there to appease my angsty teen self. This is the flip side of the coin of Nirvana and the best example of them at their punkiest. So punk, in fact, that Kurt never bothered finishing lyrics before recording. This was a live goof-off song that they decided to put on In Utero last minute, becoming that album’s heaviest moment. 15-year-old me would put this song on repeat and scream my head off.

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