Green Day‘s Billie Joe Armstrong was joined on stage by Hole icon Courtney Love as his side-project covers band The Coverups performed an intimate show of rock classics in London tonight (Tuesday February 27).
Following the announcement of the two surprise gigs in the capital last week, the band – famed for their impromptu gigs with renditions of rock and punk staples – took to the stage at The Garage in Islington before a crowd that included Sex Pistols‘ Glen Matlock as well as Blondie‘s Clem Burke and comedy legend Frank Skinner.
“How are you guys doing?” said Armstrong, 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, before the band burst into ‘A Million Miles Away’ by The Plimsouls.
After a run of standards by the likes of The Ramones, Pretenders, Sex Pistols, Bryan Adams, The Clash and David Bowie – assisted by a feral repeated crowd chant-along of “Billie, Billie, Billie fucking Joe” – the frontman and his friends (including Green Day touring guitarist Jason White) invited a special guest to the stage.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Courtney Love,” invited Armstrong, before the grunge 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?”
She and the band then tore into a spirited rendition of ‘He’s a Whore’ by Cheap Trick before a take on ‘Even the Losers’ by Tom Petty. Love would later return for a cover of ‘Surrender’ by Cheap Trick. Leaving the stage she offered: “Later… I’ll be back in Hole”.
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Other highlights included versions of ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ by Tommy James & the Shondells (as featured on Armstrong’s lockdown solo album ‘No Fun Mondays‘), ‘Last Nite’ by The Strokes, ‘Drain You’ by Nirvana and ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go’ by The Clash. Covers aside, Armstrong and co also performed the title track from his other side-project The Longshot’s 2018 album ‘Love Is For Losers‘.
“I told you it was going to be a special night,” said Armstrong later on in the night. “Thank you Courtney, we need you”.”
See footage, photos and the setlist from the show below.
The Coverups’ setlist was:
‘A Million Miles Away’ (The Plimsouls cover)
‘I Wanna Be Sedated’ (Ramones cover)
‘Ready Steady Go’ (Generation X cover)
‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ (Tommy James & the Shondells cover)
‘Message of Love’ (Pretenders cover)
‘Summer of ’69’ (Bryan Adams cover)
‘Walking Out on Love’ (Paul Collins Beat cover)
‘I Fought the Law’ (The Crickets cover)
‘Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)’ (Buzzcocks cover)
‘I’m So Bored With the U.S.A.’ (The Clash cover)
‘Ziggy Stardust’ (David Bowie cover)
‘Dancing With Myself’ (Generation X cover)
‘He’s a Whore’ (Cheap Trick cover – with Courtney Love)
‘Even the Losers’ (Tom Petty cover – with Courtney Love)
‘Neat Neat Neat’ (The Damned cover)
‘Drain You’ (Nirvana cover)
‘Last Nite’ (The Strokes cover)
‘American Girl’ (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers cover)
‘Love is for Losers’ (The Longshot)
‘Fox on the Run’ (Sweet cover)
‘Rockaway Beach’ (Ramones cover)
‘Should I Stay or Should I Go’ (The Clash cover)
‘Surrender’ (Cheap Trick cover – with Courtney Love)
Encore:
‘Where Eagles Dare’ (Misfits cover)
The Coverups will play another London show at The 100 Club on Friday (March 1), before a world tour in support of their 2024 album ‘Saviors‘, which also celebrates 30 years of their breakthrough album ‘Dookie’ and the 20th anniversary of their seminal 2004 record ‘American Idiot‘. Visit here for tickets and more information.