Okay. Apparently, grunge is now 20 years old. Of course, grunge purists and musos will argue the toss over a whole host of dates which could signal the first flush of grunge, but everyone is agreeing on this one because it’s easier, okay?

And basically, like all grunge chat, it circles around Nirvana, who were smart enough to mix their fondness for pure pop and fuzz pedals, leaving a legacy that was, sadly for Kurt Cobain, filled with jocks like Limp Bizkit, who he so obviously loathed.

However, it goes without saying that there was so much more to grunge than Nevermind and Cobain’s suicide. Let us have a look back shall we?

Nirvana kicked off their career with Bleach -  the go-to album for barefaced liars who say it’s their favourite because they want to appear like they liked ‘em first or, indeed, they’re just being purposefully awkward – which was pretty much ignored by the world ’til Nevermind hit the shelves.

Such was the fervour to get more Nirvana in the system, that everyone started to buy everything with their name on it, which included a brief spike in sales for the ’60s psychedelic band with the same name, but alas, a very, very different sound.

The way Nirvana captured a feeling – not necessarily with words, as Cobain was prone to penning impenetrable lyrics – hadn’t been seen in the UK since The Smiths peddled their own brand of disaffected, cod-poetic rock. While Mozza & Co wistfully yearned out of grubby kitchen windows, Cobain seems to extol the virtues of slumping Z shaped under motorway bridges, sniffing glue.

Alas, we all know how the story ended, with Cobain killing himself shortly before a tour of the UK while everyone was still utterly enchanted by Cobain’s magnus opus, ‘In Utero’.

However, much more impressive than Nirvana’s musical output, was their willingness to drag everyone along with them. Most bands make friends with celebrities and vanish into the world of A-Listers with their parties and cocaine wraps.

Nirvana were still keen to promote the scene that spat them out. Mudhoney, Babes In Toyland, L7, The Melvins and Sonic Youth were much more likely to crop up in interviews with the band, rather than some tall tale of hanging around with Bruce Willis in San Tropez.

Despite their huge success (something that Cobain actually wanted, regardless of the what myth might tell you), somehow, this noisy ragtag bunch of misfits still looked and sounded like those bozos in a garage band talking to a local fanzine, rather than conducting an interview with MTV.

And in many ways, that was the thing that people really loved about this unassuming group. They didn’t play too well and they sure as hell didn’t look like stadium filling superstars… they were just three likeable spivs in a noisy rock group who just happened to write a whole buncha great tunes.

While you’ll be able to immediately recall your favourite Nirvana tracks, it’s worth taking a look back at the grunge scene as a whole. Sure, there were turkeys like Stone Temple Pilots, but there were great things in-and-around it. Inextricably tied-up with Riot Grrl and the US Punk that came before it like Hüsker Dü and the Pixies, grunge opened a door which let a whole gang of noise-wielding idiots through the door.

So here’s a Spotify playlist featuring Sonic Youth, Melvins, Mudhoney, Hole, Babes In Toyland, Huggy Bear, Bratmobile, Soundgarden, Sebadoh and more.

Enjoy.

Click here to check our super grunge playlist on Spotify.

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Last night Pixies played a secret gig at Village Underground in Shoreditch to support the launch of the Minotaur box set. It was an invite-only affair and there were only about 300 lucky people allowed to witness the event. Hecklerspray was invited to attend, and we took a few readers with us. Our collective ears are still buzzing.

It started with individual Pixies wandering around the venue prior to the show. This surpassed the already high expectations for the intimate gig: pressing the flesh is one thing, but crowdsourcing a setlist is quite another. Yet that’s what Pixies did: they invited the audience to request their favourite songs, and we met them all in the process.

Naturally we threw a curve ball at Kim Deal, having requested ‘Ana’: “But we don’t know how to play it! Seriously. You could put a gun to Joey’s head and he still wouldn’t know his way around that one…”

So instead, we opted for the best Pixies song out there: No. 13 Baby, which they played early on, followed by classics like Hey, Tame, Debaser and Bone Machine. Kim was cajoled by Black Francis into performing Into The White and Gigantic, despite telling us that she wanted a lazy night (giving us an impromptu performance of the River Euphrates backing vocals in the process – her reason for wanting to dodge that song in the set). It goes without saying that it was an awesome performance, and great to see Pixies at close quarters.

The band remains a powerhouse, and is very tight, despite one or two slips, notably the UK Surf version of Wave of Mutilation, which they had to restart after Kim forgot her way around it. The audience, which included Kevin ‘My Bloody Valentine’ Shields, helped her out: “It starts in F!”

All in all we’re honoured to have been invited to what was essentially a private party (replete with free bar) for Vaughan Oliver’s stunning artwork, where Pixies showed up and did their friend a favour by playing an on-demand set.

They really seem to be enjoying themselves these days. David Lovering showed us a trick involving rubber bands and talked to us about John Bonham. Joey Santiago made our spines shiver when he played that note in Hey. Black Francis kept us amused with tales of Kim being kicked off RockBand when playing Pixies songs. And Kim grinned from ear to ear the whole night.

It was a blast.

Check out a fan’s video of Gigantic:

You can also check out David Emery’s Flickr slideshow of Pixies at Village Underground.

We’ve been getting all hot under the collar about the new Pixies box set, called Minotaur.

It’s being released on Monday and there is a very special party taking place in Shoreditch, London.

We’ve bagged a couple of tickets to give away… details below.

Compiled by Artists in Residence – which has also produced box sets for the likes of Sigur Ros and Beck - Minotaur comes in two different beastly forms. There’s the $175 Deluxe Edition or a $500 Limited Collector’s edition.

The Deluxe Edition will include all five Pixies studio albums - Come On Pilgrim (1987), Surfer Rosa (1988), Doolittle (1989), Bossanova (1990), and Trompe le Monde (1991) – on 24k layered CD and Blu-ray (five discs total), as well as a DVD of a Pixies 1991 performance at the Brixton Academy in London, the group’s videos (including our favourite music video ever, for Velouria), some bonus tracks, and a 54-page book, all housed in a custom slipcase.

The more expensive version also includes a 96-page hardcover book and vinyl versions of every Pixies release. That’s 180 gram vinyl, folks. It will also include a Giclee print of Oliver’s artwork, and a 72-page hardcover book.

This Limited Edition is housed in an oversized clamshell case and is hand-signed by every member of the Pixies and Oliver. Weighs approximately 26 pounds and ships via Federal Express worldwide. Limited to 3,000 units. Available for $500.00, plus shipping and handling.

Both versions will feature reinterpreted versions of 4AD’s legendary artwork, by graphic designer Vaughan Oliver. Sidenote: Hecklerspray’s local pub for many years was right next to the 4AD office and, to our delight, we discovered that the front cover of Surfer Rosa had been shot right where we were drinking. Oh the joy.

This video explains more:

WIN WIN WIN

So you might have heard about the Pixies Party on Monday. Or maybe you haven’t, but here’s the lowdown: if you’re a Pixies fan you don’t want to miss it. Presumably Minotaur will be played from start to end, and at full volume. There will be beer. And who knows what else?

We have TWO tickets to give away. TWO tickets. Get some…

To enter, simply TWEET “@hecklerspray, I should win a Pixies Party ticket because…” and then INSERT RANDOM PIXIES LYRIC. For example:

“@hecklerspray, I should win because THIS MONKEY’S GONE TO HEAVEN”

What can be easier? Alternatively just send a begging letter to hecklerspray@gmail.com.

Winners will be notified by Sunday evening, just in time to dust of your party outfit.

Good luck.

You! Follow hecklerspray on Twitter!

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2 – A list of horny late-night interviews for your delectation – Dailyfill

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