A new exhibition dedicated to Nirvana is to open in London in June.
Kurt Cobain Unplugged will be hosted at the Royal College of Music Museum from June 3 to November 18, and will feature Cobain's Martin guitar, as played during Nirvana's classic 1993 MTV Unplugged performance, on display in Europe for the first time.
A statement about the exhibition on the Royal College of Music Museum website reads:
"Experience rock history up close – see Kurt Cobain’s legendary Martin guitar on display for the first time in Europe. Reunited with his famous green cardigan from the MTV Unplugged performance, this exhibition celebrates the enduring influence of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana.
Step into the world of Kurt Cobain and explore the legacy of Nirvana, a band that defined a generation. Explore their iconic 1993 MTV Unplugged performance, one of Nirvana's final televised appearances before Cobain’s death just five months later. See up close Cobain’s rare Martin D-18E guitar, uniquely adapted for his left-handed play, shaping the unmistakeable sound that defined Nirvana’s music. In 2020, it became the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction, bought for over $6 million by Australian entrepreneur Peter Freedman AM.
The exhibition, at the Royal College of Music Museum, reunites Kurt Cobain’s guitar with another piece of rock history – his famous olive-green mohair cardigan, worn during the MTV Unplugged performance, marking the first time these two legendary items have been displayed together.
Immerse yourself in rare memorabilia, uncover insights into Cobain’s songwriting, and discover the lasting influence of a band that changed the face of rock music."
Admission to the exhibition will cost five pounds.
Nirvana's MTV Unplugged set was taped in New York on November 18, 1993.
Playing as a five piece, with Pat Smear on guitar and cellist Lori Goldston adding beautifully dark tonal colouring, Nirvana had never sounded more desolate or despairing, with Cobain singing of death, deliverance, betrayal and rejection. Though this was the band at their quietest - Cobain actually considered dropping Dave Grohl from the recording over fears that the powerful drummer might not be able to tone down his playing sufficiently - it was a punk rock performance in the same way that Bruce Springsteen's dark masterpiece Nebraska is a punk rock record. Cobain's version of Leadbelly's Where Did You Sleep Last Night is one of the most haunting performances ever recorded, and the band's take on David Bowie's The Man Who Sold The World was another career highpoint.
