In 1988 when my partner Jon Poneman and I officially started Sub Pop Records, we had no idea it would still be running 30 years later- nor the vast influence it would have on the music scene. There were rumblings at the time of a new music style bubbling up in the Northwest  that would be dubbed “grunge”. Due to being in the right time and place, Sub Pop was able to not only appreciate and support these bands but offer effective promotional strategies to elevate the new genre. One of those was to launch “Lamefest UK” in London showcasing now seminal bands like Nirvana, Mudhoney, and Tad. Rising artist Kurt Cobain was suffering the effects of a grueling schedule and almost bowed out due to a semi breakdown in the midst of the tour but thanks to a quickly inserted relaxation day, rallied and quickly was embraced by the UK music scene as an undeniable international star. The rest, as they say, is history. 

This pivotal week in musical history that I was able to bear witness to is documen

Nirvana - First European Tour by Bruce Pavitt

“Sub Pop’s Jon Poneman consoles Kurt Cobain after Nirvana’s performance at the 
the Piper Club. After opening their set with “School” from their debut album “Bleach”, Kurt became increasingly frustrated. Cutting the set short, Kurt climbed the PA stack and threatened to jump. He had to be talked down. Kurt confided that when he looked out into the crowd, he saw “the kind of guys who used to beat me up in high school”.” (Bruce Pavitt) 

This Grunge micro-history, one dramatic week in the life of Nirvana, was documented by Bruce Pavitt, the founder of Seattle's Sub Pop, the record label that first discovered Nirvana, Soundgarden and Mudhoney.

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Kurt Cobain and Jon Poneman, Piper Club, Rome. Nov 27, 1989

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