Courtney Love joins Billie Joe Armstrong on stage in London to cover Tom Petty
Hole vocalist Courtney Love joined Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong on stage on February 27th to perform an initimate show with his covers band The Coverups in London.
Last week, Armstrong’s novelty side-project announced two surprise shows in the English capital at intimate venues. Tending to cover rock and punk classics, they played The Garage in Islington, to a packed crowd which included Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock, Blondie drummer Clem Burke and comedian Frank Skinner. They are also set to play The 100 Club on March 1st.
“How are you guys doing?” Armstrong asked the crowd when arriving on stage. “We’re The Coverups, we play cover songs. This is the kind of stuff that we do at home. We’re just friends who get together and we hang out, and it’s just glorified karaoke.”
“Without further ado, here’s our first song,” he continued. The band then jumped into a version of ‘A Million Miles Away’, the 1982 single by American rockers, The Plimsouls. The band proceeded to play a string of classics by the Ramones, Pretenders, Sex Pistols, Bryan Adams, The Clash and David Bowie before introducing Love to the stage.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Courtney Love,” Armstrong said before the Hole leader icon took the mic and replied: “Thank you, Billie Joe. My name is Courtney Love – you may not remember me. I’ve been living in a cave in Birmingham for about nine years. We’ll give this a fucking try, right?”
Together, they played a rendition of Cheap Trick’s ‘He’s a Whore’ and Tom Petty’s ‘Even the Losers’. Later, the alternative rock pioneer then returned to the stage for a cover of arguably the most influential Cheap Trick song, ‘Surrender’.
“I told you it was going to be a special night,” Armstrong said later. “Thank you Courtney, we need you”.”
Earlier this year, Green Day released their new album, Saviors. In a four-star review, Far Out wrote: “Saviors takes a bold step forward, reaching for the very fingertips of revolution in a way that many would shy away from.”
Watch footage of the show below.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.