[Gig Review] THE BUZZ LOVERS NIRVANA TRIBUTE (Spain) W/ ALICE REMAINS (AU) @ 170 RUSSELL, MELBOURNE (AU), 27.5.26.
Author: Mal Keecher
Presented By:
Venue:
170 Russell, Melbourne, Australia
Images/Footage:
Mal Keecher
The Buzz Lovers Australian Tour-May 2026
The cool air of Melbourne's CBD streets this Wednesday evening gives way to the warmth inside one of my favourite and familiar live music venues, 170 Russell Street. Descending the stairs without the usual hordes made for an easy entry and what felt like the perfect number of patrons for this mid-week grunge fiesta.
It was a pleasant surprise to see that Melbourne's own Alice in Chains tribute band called Alice Remains were slated as the first band up tonight. Alice Remains did the original songs justice, particularly on personal favourites ‘Man in the Box’ and ‘Would?’ with at times soaring rock vocals from David Faul at the helm as he and band accomplished a recreation of Layne Staley and Alice in Chains' pivotal songs.
‘Man in a Box’ by Alice Remains tribute band.
The Buzz Lovers immediately brought the energy with the joltingly enthralling riff of ‘Breed’ and accompanying thunderous drums like hail on a tin roof raining down musical manna. And just like that, hundreds of people were transported back in time to what looks and sounds like the real deal–The Buzz Lovers were Nirvana. I was instantly captivated by the nuances in Kurt Cobain's Pedro Madeira and Krist Novoselic Bruno and Dave Grohl Marcus' mimicry of performance.
The Buzz Lovers ‘Breed’ high energy.
Kurt had been gone for over four years before my high school experience found itself a worthy soundtrack–Nirvana's ‘In Utero’ on cassette tape lent to me by a mate which led to a two-year obsession and a deep dive into rock music that persists today. There was a subsequent explosion of grunge in my ear drums daily, tuning out the world and replacing it with the sounds of Seattle rock and the seemingly enigmatic world of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. Tonight, this is essentially what is happening, albeit 32 years since Nirvana's disbandment and Kurt's untimely death. The Buzz Lovers embody the spirit and essence of Nirvana in every aspect, just short of smashed instruments and punk rock stage sabotage antics, tonight's performance was an uncanny melding of nostalgia with modern day excitement at how this time warping spectacle can be accomplished with such precision and accuracy.
With a tight, solid performance, The Buzz Lovers enthralled their audience with a captivating spectacle as they each channeled the look, sound and feel of Nirvana's respective members Kurt, Krist and Dave. Pedro captured Kurt's look completely with his dirty blond hair hiding the only possible tell that behind the hair is an incredibly adept and adroit Spanish musician who along with the rest of the band are essentially paying homage to a rock icon, and executing the challenge with flawless ease. Bruno (Krist) has the signature sway and jump down pat, while Marcos (Dave Grohl) with his dark brown lengthy locks, hammered the drums with power and precision on each of the many tracks that were played tonight including ‘Aneurysm’, ‘Sliver’, ‘Molly's Lips’, ‘Polly’, ‘You Know You’re Right’, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, ‘School’, ‘Heart Shaped Box’, the obligatory ‘Love Buzz’ and many more delectable delights.
With a dazzling display of the ‘In Utero’ album cover behind them, they played a mesmerising and perfectly paralleling rendition of ‘Rape Me’. Anyone could be forgiven for feeling like it was Big Day Out 1992, as Kurt Pedro sang and screeched this one out to its jarringly resounding end and fans jumped and moshed like it was 90s nostalgia night in a time machine.
The Buzz Lovers- ‘Rape Me’.
From the intensity of ‘Rape Me’ to the anthemic and lighter ‘In Bloom’ The Buzz Lovers marched forward with what looked like ease, however likely built on many years of hard work and dedication to their craft. ‘Come as You Are’ was top-tier CD quality and despite having heard this song a few thousand times over the years, this performance made the song fresh and exciting again. ‘Lounge Act’ was a staple for me in the 90s, literally lounging around in my youth, blasting ‘Nevermind’ in a friends lounge, jumping around with reckless abandon much tonight's giddy crowd. It's a similar story for the fond memories I have listening to ‘All Apologies’ as it brought back more memories and created new ones.
The goal tonight was to suspend disbelief and enjoy the show, The Buzz Lovers certainly brought the buzz, and I loved every moment. The Buzz Lovers are the closest thing you will get to experiencing the true to life feel of a live Nirvana experience without a time machine, and this crowd, with myself included, are grateful to have been present at such an awe inspiring event.
Tickets to The Buzz Lovers remaining Australian shows, including Melbourne’s 2nd show this Friday 29/5 and Sydney’s two Metro Theatre shows here.
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Peace, Love and Grindcore - Brady & The ISC Team.