There’s a party atmosphere in Cardiff University’s Y Plas room tonight, with a packed-out room waiting in anticipation for the arrival of Elvana, the Elvis-fronted Nirvana tribute act. As a mirrorball twirls to the band’s Grease intro music, the band emerge to rapturous applause, and jump straight into Territorial Pissings… followed swiftly by That’s Alright Mama, just to put to bed any doubt about what Elvana are about.
How exactly they have become so popular is no real mystery. When the band play Nirvana songs, they really sound like Nirvana, vocals aside; add to that the charisma of Elvana’s jumpsuit-wearing, cheeseball frontman, known only as The King, and you have a recipe for a very entertaining night out. The band wish us a happy St David’s Day, the crowd responding with an impressive rendition of Bread Of Heaven – after which the band launch into Scentless Hound Dog and Rape Me Tender, hybrid numbers whose audacity is matched by their titles and, if nothing else, demonstrate that had Elvis stuck around until the 1990s, his grunge comeback would have been a real treat.
There’s plenty of hijinks: guitarist Danny Cobain offering up the odd terrible joke, often aimed at bass player Rob Novoselic, whilst the team of female backing singers take on occasional vocal duties and crowd interaction obligations with tracks like Dive/Devil In Disguise and Trouble/Breed Las Vegas. The King belts out Dumb/Always On My Mind like he was the man himself, straddling the barrier to get up close and personal during Frances Farmer/Suspicious Minds before a short break and costume change.
Emerging with a handful of roses to pass around to lucky members of the crowd, the band seamlessly mash Can’t Help Falling In Love and Heart Shaped Box with surprising ease – followed by A Little Less Teen Spirit, which predictably gets the biggest response of the night. Not content with leaving on that high, the band take the crowd through the anthemic Come As You Are with one final ticker-tape cannon signalling the end of the night.
There’s no getting away from the fact that Elvana are a quality act and worth every penny of the ticket money, but as the crowd disperse into a miserable Cardiff night, you can’t help but wonder what Kurt would have thought of it all…
Elvana, Y Plas, Cardiff University Students Union, Fri 1 Mar
words CHRIS ANDREWS photos CHLOE JACKSON-NOTT