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BBC announce Nevermind 30th anniversary documentary: When Nirvana Came To Britain

New BBC doc When Nirvana Came To Britain is on the way – plus other BBC celebrations to mark 30 years of Nevermind.

BBC announce Nevermind 30th anniversary documentary: When Nirvana Came To Britain
Words:
Emily Carter

With Nirvana's iconic second album Nevermind turning 30 this month (on September 24, to be precise), BBC Music have announced several different birthday celebrations – including a new documentary featuring Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic.

The two surviving members of the band will be joined by the likes of BBC Radio 2’s Jo Whiley, 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq, members of their British tour crew, UK publicist Anton Brookes and more for When Nirvana Came To Britain, which is produced by Wise Owl Films. It'll document the story of Nirvana between 1989 and 1994, and include all sorts of home movie footage, archive stuff, and important UK locations to the band.

"The UK definitely responded to Nirvana much more, before America," says Dave. "You guys were the first with everything… we cut our teeth there. After touring the UK I remember going back to America to the same bars and clubs where we were playing to 99 people… 150 people… it was definitely not like what it was in the UK. It really is like a second home."

Read this: 11 bands and artists who wouldn’t be here without Nirvana

Mark Robinson, Executive Producer of When Nirvana Came To Britain, continues: "Nirvana’s relationship with Britain really was a two-way trade-off. Nirvana were inspired by bands like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin and championed British groups like The Raincoats and The Vaselines – but their brand of rock was to have a huge influence on the sounds coming out of the British music scene in the ’90s. This story has never been told on TV before, so it’s been fascinating to hear it from Dave and Krist themselves, as well as the people who literally went on the journey with them, as they toured the UK.”

Elsewhere, BBC 6 Music will be playing tracks from Nevermind all day on the anniversary; a new Radio 4 documentary, Teen Spirit: Nevermind At 30, will air; and BBC Two's Reel Stories: Dave Grohl interview will be played again, too.

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