A music gig at The Lowry? Well, this is a first. How does it work? Where do I go? Hmmm… all very strange. I must get a pass from the stage door; we are escorted backstage before being ushered through to the theatre and hooked up with seats. We almost feel like royalty, certainly VIP. I could get use to this. 

I arrive in time for Talk Like Tigers, twin sisters Charlotte and Stephanie from Newcastle. They are cited as a rising indie-pop duo. They enter the stage to ‘Vogue’ by Madonna (who I love by the way!) and there is a strong 80s vibe, somewhat reminiscent of Shakespeare Sister. The performance is carefully choreographed with matching outfits and their cover of The Cranberries “Linger” is not bad…

But… We have had a discussion at ROCKFLESH towers this week about reviewing indie bands and the decision it was a big “no”, so sadly this duo are definitely the wrong fit for this website. I would say they are more pop than indie too. They are certainly talented singers and musicians, but the music is really not doing it for me… and the fact they recently featured on “Made in Chelsea” immediately repels me; last month I spent a day at RHS Chelsea and it was horrid (far too many “normal” people, a distinct lack of tattoos, piercings and individuality). There is a place for Talk Like Tigers in the musical landscape (and being the backing singers for Elvana is evidently why they are here) but they are a million miles from the grungy goodness I have come to consume. 

So, Elvana… I first heard of them at Diddy Download when I was told that was who we were about to watch and given the spiel that they are the Elvis fronted Nirvana tribute band. Intriguing. What followed was an absolutely bonkers set of all the big Nirvana tracks and much hilarity culminating in a circle pit for ‘Suspicious Minds’. So, when I noticed they were playing The Lowry I said, “sign me up”.

Tonight, it’s Elvana: Unplugged and I really do not know what to expect? From the main stage of Diddy Download to here in the small fully seated Quays Theatre, will the band deliver upbeat jolly good entertainment or will it be a more sedate affair? 

Hailing from the North-East, Elvana were unleashed on the world in 2018 and played Download and Glastonbury Festivals 2019. This tour was scheduled for 2020 so it must be with much relief that it is finally underway. They certainly look pleased to be here and our main man “Elvis” is cracking jokes immediately. 

They are straight into reciting Kurt’s words to introduce ‘About A Girl’ and despite some initial reservations I am pleasantly surprised, especially when the song then becomes ‘It’s Now or Never’. I simply love Nirvana, was a big fan in the early 90s (still am), with posters of Kurt Cobain covering my walls alongside the likes of Axl Rose and Jerry Cantrell. Like many teenagers at the time, I was devastated by Kurt’s passing so anything that insults his memory isn’t going to sit well with me, but this is transfixing!  

Elvis brings our attention to the stage, which is adorned with candles, flowers, a glitterball and a fabulous golden toilet, which doubles up as his seat for the night (later a can of Skol is taken from it and hastily put back – jokes about Salford obligatory of course). He explains this show is a departure for the band and promises that throughout the night the energy will gradually build. The band look super smart, but it is Elvis who steals the show in his black and red jumpsuit, big buckle belt, red sunglasses and not forgetting the black tassel glitzy cardigan (a far cry from Kurt’s tan-coloured scruffy cardigan from the show). 

The audience is only half full and as I cast my eye around, I observe a mixed bunch of ages; are they Nirvana fans or Elvis fans? Or both? Hard to tell but with all the clapping, dancing, and singing along I imagine many of them have seen Elvana before and are back for more. I think some are more Elvis fans and it’s great they have that intergenerational appeal. As for me, I’m not an Elvis fan as such. Maybe it’s an age thing? My era was UB40 and Pet Shop Boys covering Elvis, so I know the songs but these days more from watching “Lilo and Stitch”.

We get a stunning rendition of the anthemic Come as You Are’ and musically the band do the songs justice, all sounding as I remember them. I reflect on what a unique and outstanding band Nirvana were, and for tonight (and forever) this is as close as I am going to get to seeing the real thing. But there are a lot of tracks to cram into tonight’s show, so after a few organ jokes at the expense of “Bass Man” who has whipped out his aforementioned organ they launch into “an old Christian song, but we do it the Nirvana doing it The Vaselines way” they bring us ‘Jesus Don’t Want Me for a Sunbeam’.  Funnily enough I can barely discern the overhyped organ but probably because I am comparing it to the more obvious accordion on the original. 

For ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ Elvis comes into the audience to mingle. He high fives as many people as he can before stumbling back onto the stage, knocking over some candles, then mentioning it’s actually quite hard to see with sunglasses on! “You’re face to face… with the king of rock ‘n’ roll”. Simple yet effective. 

The next few songs are a mash up of Nirvana and Elvis which is a delight to witness with ‘Pennyroyal Tea’ mixed with ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’, followed by ‘Dumb’ into ‘Always on my Mind’ before we get ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ into ‘Polly’. On paper it seems like something that should not work, but in reality it really does!  

Now I am having that nostalgia thing where I’m not sure how old I am and Elvis compounds this by recalling his experience of being about age 12/13 watching a recording of the MTV Unplugged show from whoever at school had Sky. Well, I’m not sure I knew anyone who had Sky, rather we had a long wait to watch the show when it finally aired on terrestrial TV. Recorded in November 1993 it was not shown on MTV until November 1994, just months after Kurt’s death that April. I still have the original white vinyl copy of the album and remember recording the performance and watching is obsessively for months. It was a defining moment in my youth to hear these loud and rowdy songs stripped back was simply stunning… and probably if you spend too long thinking about it, it becomes even more tragic. But let’s not dwell on that. 

My only criticism of the set… ‘Plateau’ sounded great until he had to hit the high notes. Not a mean feat I know but trying to emulate Kurt instead of just doing the gimmicky Elvis impersonation was a faux pas here I feel. Luckily ‘Oh Me’ (a real gem that was not on the televised performance but featured on the album) and ‘Lake of Fire’ are better and we are back on track. A quick costume change to a white jumpsuit featuring a blue/red/gold coloured eagle and gold lamé lined cape heralds another Elvis number. ‘Love Me’ not to be confused with ‘Love Me Tender’, a song I am unfamiliar with, but enjoy immensely. Then the Unplugged set is rounded off with another mash up ‘In the Ghetto’ into the spine-tingling ‘Where did you sleep last night?’

But that is not where it ends as they treat us to another few numbers from Elvis to bring the show to its climax. Firstly ‘Suspicious Minds’ when Elvis finally introduces the band! Himself - Elvis, Danny “Cobain” on guitar, Rob “Novoselic” on bass and Bobby “Grohl” on drums, plus Talk Like Tigers and two other “proper” musicians in the form of a cellist and another guitarist whose name I did not quite catch but something “Smear” in recognition of Pat Smear, who featured on Unplugged and played in a small band you might know, I think they are called Foo Fighters. 

Our encore is ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, and everyone is on their feet, clapping and dancing along. Given at 1pm Sunday afternoon I simply cannot be bothered doing anything, I am glad I dragged myself out of the house and sat to be gloriously entertained this evening. You can catch Elvana back up North on their next tour which starts in November. Well worth it.