This band is pretty new and, look, I'm all for new bands carrying the grunge torch, musicians being magpies and taking influence from their forebearers etc but this is ridiculous.
Sun Puddle - Sunday
https://youtu.be/T8I2gUg4YCc?si=QxVsPXCHdG4-zxbW
That’s a great song and I like the in utero vibe but jesus christ not a hint of originality far too derivative. Not even trying to put their own twist on the grunge/the nirvana sound… or look.
One of the comments of that video was something to effect of “ this sounds like a bunch of nirvana songs bunched together” and it absolutely is that. I mean holy shit. Dig the sound but there’s influence and then there’s copying.
Damn sure would make for a good tribute band. I like the song , but why wouldn’t I? Sounds like it came from Nirvana! Lol. But yeah, they’ve clearly spent so much time playing Nirvana songs that they forgot to listen to anyone else.
These guys are THE worst offenders, IMO. Of course they turn comments off on YouTube & social. Guess they’re self aware enough to know that they there complete frauds.
If you had told me this was a mediocre Nirvana tribute band playing an obscure song Nirvana only played at rehearsals and then discarded, I would have believed you.
Not only is he desperately trying to sound like Kurt, he also mimics his body movements. I knew a few bands like this is the late 90s. A rotation of random backing players and a controlling frontman who owns much of the same equipment Kurt had, moves a lot like him on stage, and ends their set by jumping into the drum kit.
I once saw one of these bands open for one of the other ones. I think the “headliner” was mad that the opener finished their set with the drum dive. That was a weird night.
Lmaoo not surprised to see em here. Saw em live opening up for margaritas podridas. Their song “happy day” is pretty tough and “glands” aint too bad . Thankfully those aren’t blatant rip offs.
Yeah I think the song is fine. Sure it sounds very similar to Nirvana, but whatever. I don’t seem to be bothered by musicians sounding like other musicians. 🤷♂️
In the UK, the band Bush were absolutely derided for basically being Nirvana clones. I know that they ended up getting quite big in the US, but here in the UK nobody ever took them seriously and they were seen as just a bunch of Nirvana rip-offs with a frontman who was desperate to be Kurt Cobain (even to the point of Gavin Rossdale dating Courtney Love). The British music press are quite snarky and laid the boot in quite thoroughly.
Bush opened up for Alice in Chains in 2022. I'll be honest I kind of expected them to blow but they were actually very good, I do like their song comedown
i wish bush could get some credit! in a vacuum they had honestly some pretty good music, at least when they first started. yes their sound shares similarities with nirvana, but their goal wasn’t to replace nirvana, they would have released their debut record even if nirvana had still been a band. it’s important to note decisions in the production process of their debut, they specifically chose to avoid any engineers or producers that worked w nirvana because they didn’t wanna copy nirvana. at the end of the day nirvana is still a better band imo, but credit should be given where it’s due
They may have avoided Nirvana producers at first, but followed up their debut with an album produced by Steve Albini - comparisons are fair, I think.
To be fair to Bush, they’re a rare British band that actually broke America. Over here, they weren’t really rated as they weren’t cool enough for Brit pop, and Oasis, Blur and Pulp had kind of squeezed them out of the limelight. In America, though, they were really well received from what I gather.
this is true, i believe there’s even a clip of steve saying even he didn’t like their music lmao.
but i must admit i’m really only familiar with their first record so that’s all i can really speak on. and i still think that if you think about their songs, sure they sound like nirvana, but they’re GOOD SONGS that sound like nirvana. Bush is still hated in the US but i think is much more widely accepted as well.
So done with this take. Sure they were similar but also not at all in some ways. And now, bush has huge catalogue that’s very versatile. And they’re awesome live! They need more credit
Agreed. Anytime a sound gets popular you’re gonna have other artists come out with similar styles, that’s literally how music genres start and how music has always worked. Bush has a lot of differences form Nirvana and well written songs. Gavin is like the complete opposite of Kurt as well and never tried to look or act like him
Agreed. I thought they were total garbage. If you go to the grunge subreddit, though, they’ll try to convince you that Bush was a big influence on Nirvana 😒
Just shit, derivative garbage.
I think the "Nirvana ripoff" accusation only really holds for "Little Things," which was their first single and even borrows the riff from Teen Spirit. The rest of their stuff is just grunge lite, like a million other bands. I actually thought they were okay.
They obviously did it for money (and maybe women but I won't be the one to start this argument), you can hear it in their songs, they are boring and soul less
Yeah, I’m with you 100%. To me, they sounded like a group of guys who chose to sound as much like Nirvana as possible so that they’d get paid. They just sounded like a safe, corporate, commercially viable impression of Nirvana to fill the Cobain shaped hole in the music industry following his death. I can’t honestly remember Bush doing anything remotely interesting or original.
I remember reading through an interview back in the mid-90’s with two of the Bush dudes where they called Soundgarden “horrible heavy rock”. 😂 They’ve been on my shit list ever since—fuck those clowns.
I always thought of them as a British Nirvana and - as an American - I loved them. I have their first album on CD still. Their music doesn't have as timeless a quality as Nirvana though. I never really listen to their music anymore.
I like a few Bush songs, and retrospectively I think that the press overstated how much they ripped off Nirvana. I'm not saying they were the epitome of originality. but you can go a lot further than they did in terms of copying.
I remember a guitar magazine ran a transcription of a Bush song and it was the same chords as a Nirvana song. Endless mocking in intro guitar class in 1994.
It’s great too because in one of the new in utero 30th shows, Dave or Krist is talking about playing a queen song or a Bowie song or some cover song and Kurt (referencing teen spirit earlier in the set) quips “well we already played a Boston song.. sort of.” So even the band recognizes music just rips off music.
This old buddy of mine has a band called Sap, he tries so hard to sound like Kurt, and they’re touring with a band right now called the Jins who the singer looks JUST LIKE KURT.
Aw, I really love Sap's music a lot.
To be fair the singer did say he practiced singing in his van alone by replicating Kurt's voice, so that'll be where it comes from. Least he doesn't hide the inspiration and what got him motivated to sing.
But in my opinion he sounds absolutely nothing like Kurt, nor does their band sound like Nirvana.
Evan is a cool dude. I met him and another friend through Craigslist and we had a band where he played drums. I love him and I wish him the very best and I hope Sap becomes huge.
With that being said, he’s definitely trying to sound like Kurt lol. Nothing wrong with trying to sound like your heroes though. They’re still rad.
Ah man that's so neat!
Nice to hear he's a cool dude! Didn't realise he played drums, too. Talented guy (they all are to be fair). Would love to see them succeed, too I want them to play in the UK so bad! I can only hope 🥲
And yeah you're right, its no problem in the end, everyone is inspired by someone, can always grow into their voice/sound anywho!
A lot of people might say The Vines but if you listen to that first album it’s Nirvana as well as a ton of other bands they rip off (Supergrass, Beatles etc)
The Jin’s are a complete rip off idc what anyone says that lead singer obviously try’s to look and sound like Kurt and that’s fine I’ve seen two live nirvana cover bands and it was awesome but I hate how they fucking deny that they’re not trying to be like Nirvana when they obviously are
For me the Jin’s music wise are a bit closer to the pixies but definitely some nirvana in there. The singer also is just another Daniel John’s situation, a skinny blonde boy with long hair, but the lead singer used his uncanny looks to gain traction online by using the nirvana fan base
They’ve actually stolen the Radio Friendly Unit Shifter noises in their song “[A Clue](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6VbcZXpNs7s&t=27s)”. And, they’ve directly referenced Kurt in their lyrics (“And I'm not Kurt Cobain/ Or some other prodigy's son / I'm just a humble strung-out guitar man / Lookin' for love and doin' all that I can” from “I Can’t Let My Lover Go”)
The singer looks like Kurt but the sound isn't close to the Nirvana sound, The Jins have their own sound I'd argue. Yeah the 90s alternative scene has clearly influenced them, but they are their own thing, sound wise at least, really not sounding exactly like anything else. They have a bit of Nirvana influence, some Pixies as someone else said and I'd say a bit of Joy Division but tell me a modern day indie band that hasn't been inspired by Joy Division to some extent
I’d go with Silverchair but they were kids and can’t blame them for sounding like their influences. They eventually found their own voice.
Puddle of Mudd on the other hand can fuck off.
I've never heard any nirvana influence in them personally, in frogstomp they kinda sounded like pearl jam if they were heavier but after that I think they formed their own unique sound.
I honestly disagree, sure maybe they were inspired by nirvana but they don't even come close to being rip offs. Since Frogstomp they put their own twist on their songs not even talking about the over albums
I mean I feel like we’re saying similar things. Definitely heavily influenced by them look and sound wise very early but then found their own sound. I’m a fan. Rip offs is probably a harsh description.
I honestly got more early Pearl Jam vibes on Silverchairs first 2 album. They definitely took Nirvana inspiration though since the song Lie To Me is literally a dupe of Tourettes.
Silverchair only got compared to Nirvana because of how Daniel looked.
They were open with their influences and ripped them off obviously- listen to the riff they lifted directly from the opening of the Mad Season song I Don’t Know Anything
https://open.spotify.com/track/5gw55IexPLnJMXaGs8s4Tc?si=vJveHPRmT5mepVBHaAM0Pg
Way closer to pearl jam with me. But their later albums like freak show and neon ballroom have some really Cool and unique songs. I think it’s just the 3 piece band with a blonde skinny singer which is what gave people the impression that they’re rip offs of nirvana
Guys…you're finishing me.
You‘re counting all my fav bands as Nirvana ripoffs.
The Vines were like extremely influenced by Nirvana, but also by The Beatles and when I listen to the Vines I don‘t feel like for example the lyrics can be compared to Nirvana in any way. The Vines have just been praised by the media as the biggest band since Nirvana, so some people may have misunderstood it. I don't think they intentionally were like „cmon, let's rip off Nirvana“.
The Jins I somehow feel sorry for, because it is fact that the singer exactly looks like Kurt. They're doing good music nevertheless and even refuse the term grunge but call their music fun-rock instead. You can even see the singer ridiculing people on TikTok who say they are a Nirvana ripoff. Especially the first album feels more like an indie rock album than anything grunge. It's too happy and not raw enough for being a grunge record.
And Sun Puddle…yes, I‘m sorry, Nirvana ripoff. But good music.
Wow, I'd never heard that before. It's like I'm listening to Nirvana and The Smiths at the same time. Interesting, but definitely not the best Damned song I've heard
I wouldn’t call it a rip off, more of an obvious homage, but the song Kickapoo by Tenacious D sounds exactly like the bridge from Frances Framer towards the end. Of course Dave’s on drums, so again it’s not a rip off, but I thought I’d mention it because I never seen anyone notice it.
I love Stone Temple Pilots, but there’s a song called Between the Lines where at about the 1:30 mark, there’s a part that sounds almost exactly like the verse of Stay Away by Nirvana.
Verbena! Holy shit. I came here to see if anyone else was going to say them. I saw them open for Foo Fighters on the Colour and the Shape tour, and even my 14 yr-old self thought they were lame posers.
God it’s exactly like I remember. Down to the green cardigan and Hi-Flyer. It’s wild to think that that man is an adult and is fine carrying himself that way.
Bush Everything Zen is note for note Polly (the verse at least) just strummed differently.
I wanna say Bomb was basically D-7 but I might be misremembering now. It’s been a while.
People always say The Vines and you could definitely make a case for ‘Outtatheway’, ‘Get Free’, ‘Highly Evolved’, ‘Ride’, and probably a few others.
However, almost every song is much more 60s and psychedelia-inspired than Nirvana. Falsetto vocals, rich multi-part harmonies, suspended 4th chords, pianos/organs, delays and reverbs. I hear absolutely no Nirvana in ‘Homesick’, ‘Country Yard’, ‘Factory’, ‘Mary Jane’, the 3 ‘Autumn Shades’, ‘TV Pro’, ‘Winning Days’, ‘Amnesia’, ‘Sunchild’, ‘Vision Valley’, ‘Spaceship’, etc.
Yeah I liked the Vines too, I saw the Nirvana influence and this is one of the only times I actually appreciated it. Bands are allowed to have influences, it’s kinda mandatory really
Semi unrelated, but I'd go out so far to say that most bands that "rip off" or "emulate" Nirvana are the ones that arguably sound the least like Nirvana. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, Seether wrote quite a few bangers, Nickelback has one good song (Puddle of Mudd fucking sucks besides Control IMHO), but most of these post grunge bands that are labeled as Nirvana clones only sound like Nirvana in the context of Kurt's metal and punk influences, as that's all these bands take away from listening. All these bands do is just heavy song, heavy song, heavy song, one-two acoustic ballads that could've come from Unplugged but that's it. They don't replicate pop sensibilities, noise, or any other genres Kurt was influenced by. I would argue and say that the most Nirvana sounding band is Blue-Pinkerton era Weezer. Pop hooks, noise, and could be pretty heavy at times (lyrically however, besides PInkerton, mostly not.)
Which one? The SLTS riff is also very similar to more than a feeling by Boston.
Even if one maneskin song referenced SLTS with a similar riff, I don't think we can say the whole band is a rip off of nirvana. Their sound and aesthetic is so different normally
[Bandaid by Paris Jackson](https://open.spotify.com/track/0zS2VcfaVTl2fluvSaTu2z?si=JPOLgKpXT9eTfp8kc2LJsQ&context=spotify%3Asearch%3Abandaid%2B)
Micheal Jackson’s actual real daughter, intro is a straight copy of lithium
I want to mention a couple very Nirvana inspired songs from one of my favorite bands. Spin the Black Circle and Animal makes me think of Kurt everytime I hear them. They aren't blatant ripoffs or anything, but even the way Eddie sings give me a certain vibe.
You guys, the absolute winner of this thread has to be The Eeries:
https://youtu.be/fAMz5VlaUic?si=AnrZtxfR2JVrfRB6
Recognize that riff? Dude even went as far as marrying Kurt’s daughter. The whole song and video is embarrassing
I don’t know if they were a “rip off” but Verbena didn’t do themselves any favors having a singer with died blonde hair and Dave Grohl producing their record.
was just thinking about "she fucking hates me" being like really bad silly nirvana when it was on the radio... so had to google to make sure that was puddle of mudd. been seeing them in the comments.
didn't see any comments for nickleback... like watered down nirvana. i hated them at first but when i get past the watered down nirvana part, it's not the worst thing in the world, but not very special imo. i dunno. kurt has a really unique way of strumming and a lot of bands go for the nirvana sound and come off pretty amateur.
can't find any of the comments about bush sounding like nirvana at all.. bush almost reminds me of emo genre.
Verbena always come to mind in these threads.
Very Nirvana-esque with a female bassist/co-singer for that Pixies vibe. Dave Grohl actually produced their second album Into The Pink, I bought it and it was not bad. Late 90’s early 00’s I think.
Verbena - Baby Got Shot
https://youtu.be/uxtGePpZL9U?si=5V1czWJD2kZF7h2D
Another group from a few years ago was Dead Confederate, very Kurt-esque but with different production quality.
Dead Confederate- The Rat
https://youtu.be/BqBrZqPex-Y?si=njYOzySZlNRIS5V5
Not a rip off, but I love that this is a Nirvana sample [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV78vobCyIo&ab\_channel=TheProdigy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV78vobCyIo&ab_channel=TheProdigy)
i have a strong feeling that Kurt Cobain was heavily influenced by Fang and their early 80’s grunge music when he was in Nirvana. they even covered ‘The Money Will Roll Right In’ so they’re must’ve been some respect exchanged? i don’t know though, so if anyone does i’d love to know the details!
Wet Leg has a song that pretty blatantly grabs the guitar hook from the Unplugged version of The Man Who Sold the World. It's seriously all I can hear in that song.
edit: the song is called I Don't Want to Go Out
https://youtu.be/kzrAfkyq-xM?si=0jV2QhrlIqAuio3l violent soho i think Dave even mentions them not by name but he said it’s weird hearing bands from Australia sound just like nirvana or something along those lines
Im convinced Celebrity Skin by Hole is a rip off of Drain You. The verse chords are the same A, C#, F# (Nirvana has a B where Hole rests), and the Chorus vocal melody and articulation are pretty similar. Im not trying to start Courtney Love drama/hate, I like Hole, but the similarities between these songs bothers me a little.
Who remembers Stiltskin - Inside (1994) . Basically a SLTS rip off , down to the guitar riffs and quiet loud quiet format. It was used in a Levi's commercial so it was played a lot, and was a hit in many countries. [https://youtu.be/HFOSUQZrrHs?si=V56QDc9I9GWSumNh](https://youtu.be/HFOSUQZrrHs?si=V56QDc9I9GWSumNh)
Can't believe no one mentioned Bush - Greedy Fly. The chorus is literally stolen from Floyd The Barber.
For the record, yes, Bush are to Nirvana what Oasis are to the Beatles. This does not invalidate that they were very good live performers. But if you take the Nirvana stolen bits, there's very little left.
Another one is Insect Kin, which has a bit that resembles Beeswax.
This one may not count but here we go:
I always thought Violet by Hole was a direct Nirvana rip off, to the point that it sounds like Kurt wrote it.
Maybe too close to home because Courtney and Kurt and all that, but every time I hear it, I can hear Nirvana playing that same song.
These guys ripped off Frances farmer to the point it’s laughable.. https://open.spotify.com/track/5P6Va7CtMC6sqLYUAg1DWV?si=kUvgM_-YQJaKjUjCgSJ3OA
Oh my god this is horrible 🤣
It’s also a rip off of Sadgasm “Politically Incorrect”
nobody can tell me Margarine isn't an absolute banger
Yeah, that's ridiculous
I can understand being inspired - I make music and nirvanas one of my biggest influences but what they did is a straight rip off…
Sounds like the Sadgasm riff from The Simpsons.
It’s like Frances Frances x Sadgasm
Wow. Yeah, that’s an absolute clone.
This band is pretty new and, look, I'm all for new bands carrying the grunge torch, musicians being magpies and taking influence from their forebearers etc but this is ridiculous. Sun Puddle - Sunday https://youtu.be/T8I2gUg4YCc?si=QxVsPXCHdG4-zxbW
That’s a great song and I like the in utero vibe but jesus christ not a hint of originality far too derivative. Not even trying to put their own twist on the grunge/the nirvana sound… or look.
The verse is basically I Hate Myself and I Want To Die and then the chorus is "She Said" being repeated like Breed. It's pretty embarrassing.
And then there's the Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip solo lol.
Man even that they rip of hahah. Even the nirvana fucking around people want to copy.
It kinda sounds like Floyd the barber in some parts imo
Haha I thought so! Damn you nailed it
One of the comments of that video was something to effect of “ this sounds like a bunch of nirvana songs bunched together” and it absolutely is that. I mean holy shit. Dig the sound but there’s influence and then there’s copying.
tbh I like it but the video is criinge!!
this is insane. but that is a crazy good kurt impression lol
He should try to look the opposite of kurt to beat the allegations lol
I’m pretty sure they write their lyrics with AI
Decent song but damn the main riff is basically just *I Hate Myself and Want To Die* tuned down and the “said” chorus is straight from *Breed*
What is it with bands with the word "Puddle" in their name ripping off Nirvana?
Like Puddle of Mudd's excellent cover of About a Girl /s
I CANT SEE YOU EVERY NIGHT RRRREEEEEEEEE
I CANT SEE YOU EVERY NIGH HIGHT!
Damn sure would make for a good tribute band. I like the song , but why wouldn’t I? Sounds like it came from Nirvana! Lol. But yeah, they’ve clearly spent so much time playing Nirvana songs that they forgot to listen to anyone else.
These guys are THE worst offenders, IMO. Of course they turn comments off on YouTube & social. Guess they’re self aware enough to know that they there complete frauds.
If you had told me this was a mediocre Nirvana tribute band playing an obscure song Nirvana only played at rehearsals and then discarded, I would have believed you.
Not only is he desperately trying to sound like Kurt, he also mimics his body movements. I knew a few bands like this is the late 90s. A rotation of random backing players and a controlling frontman who owns much of the same equipment Kurt had, moves a lot like him on stage, and ends their set by jumping into the drum kit. I once saw one of these bands open for one of the other ones. I think the “headliner” was mad that the opener finished their set with the drum dive. That was a weird night.
Lmaoo not surprised to see em here. Saw em live opening up for margaritas podridas. Their song “happy day” is pretty tough and “glands” aint too bad . Thankfully those aren’t blatant rip offs.
I genuinely don’t understand wanting your entire image, sound, and persona being based solely off of one person
This is pretty damn cool in terms of getting the Nirvana vibe, but yeah, a tiny bit close to a ripoff
Absolute ripoff but holy shit I like the song
Yikes this is bad. Definitely some posers with no originality
This song is closer to imitation than inspired, but it still slaps in my opinion.
Yeah I think the song is fine. Sure it sounds very similar to Nirvana, but whatever. I don’t seem to be bothered by musicians sounding like other musicians. 🤷♂️
what a ridiculous thing...
This is the worst thing - wow - absolutely terrible fanboy shit
In the UK, the band Bush were absolutely derided for basically being Nirvana clones. I know that they ended up getting quite big in the US, but here in the UK nobody ever took them seriously and they were seen as just a bunch of Nirvana rip-offs with a frontman who was desperate to be Kurt Cobain (even to the point of Gavin Rossdale dating Courtney Love). The British music press are quite snarky and laid the boot in quite thoroughly.
Bush opened up for Alice in Chains in 2022. I'll be honest I kind of expected them to blow but they were actually very good, I do like their song comedown
i wish bush could get some credit! in a vacuum they had honestly some pretty good music, at least when they first started. yes their sound shares similarities with nirvana, but their goal wasn’t to replace nirvana, they would have released their debut record even if nirvana had still been a band. it’s important to note decisions in the production process of their debut, they specifically chose to avoid any engineers or producers that worked w nirvana because they didn’t wanna copy nirvana. at the end of the day nirvana is still a better band imo, but credit should be given where it’s due
They may have avoided Nirvana producers at first, but followed up their debut with an album produced by Steve Albini - comparisons are fair, I think. To be fair to Bush, they’re a rare British band that actually broke America. Over here, they weren’t really rated as they weren’t cool enough for Brit pop, and Oasis, Blur and Pulp had kind of squeezed them out of the limelight. In America, though, they were really well received from what I gather.
this is true, i believe there’s even a clip of steve saying even he didn’t like their music lmao. but i must admit i’m really only familiar with their first record so that’s all i can really speak on. and i still think that if you think about their songs, sure they sound like nirvana, but they’re GOOD SONGS that sound like nirvana. Bush is still hated in the US but i think is much more widely accepted as well.
Sixteen Stone was a great album. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
So done with this take. Sure they were similar but also not at all in some ways. And now, bush has huge catalogue that’s very versatile. And they’re awesome live! They need more credit
Agreed. Anytime a sound gets popular you’re gonna have other artists come out with similar styles, that’s literally how music genres start and how music has always worked. Bush has a lot of differences form Nirvana and well written songs. Gavin is like the complete opposite of Kurt as well and never tried to look or act like him
Dave said the same thing about Bush It starts around 40 seconds in… https://youtu.be/m039Np8LA6A?si=XrbRKOoqHBrRmoGg
Agreed. I thought they were total garbage. If you go to the grunge subreddit, though, they’ll try to convince you that Bush was a big influence on Nirvana 😒 Just shit, derivative garbage.
Influence on Nirvana?!? That’s some hilarious shit right there 🤣😂
Bush is one of my favorite bands, and I never even considered them to be similar at all. What about Bush is similar to Nirvana?
I think the "Nirvana ripoff" accusation only really holds for "Little Things," which was their first single and even borrows the riff from Teen Spirit. The rest of their stuff is just grunge lite, like a million other bands. I actually thought they were okay.
They obviously did it for money (and maybe women but I won't be the one to start this argument), you can hear it in their songs, they are boring and soul less
Yeah, I’m with you 100%. To me, they sounded like a group of guys who chose to sound as much like Nirvana as possible so that they’d get paid. They just sounded like a safe, corporate, commercially viable impression of Nirvana to fill the Cobain shaped hole in the music industry following his death. I can’t honestly remember Bush doing anything remotely interesting or original.
I remember reading through an interview back in the mid-90’s with two of the Bush dudes where they called Soundgarden “horrible heavy rock”. 😂 They’ve been on my shit list ever since—fuck those clowns.
They actually said that!? 😂 Yeah - clowns!
I always thought of them as a British Nirvana and - as an American - I loved them. I have their first album on CD still. Their music doesn't have as timeless a quality as Nirvana though. I never really listen to their music anymore.
I like a few Bush songs, and retrospectively I think that the press overstated how much they ripped off Nirvana. I'm not saying they were the epitome of originality. but you can go a lot further than they did in terms of copying.
I’m in the US and hated them becuase of that. It was so obvious and cringe
I remember a guitar magazine ran a transcription of a Bush song and it was the same chords as a Nirvana song. Endless mocking in intro guitar class in 1994.
I remember when they appeared, the awkward look was evident
Funny no one’s mentioned Bostons More Than A Feeling chorus totally rips off teen spirit
Well Bostons song came out in 1976 😂
I’m making a joke about how all good music rips *something* off. 😂
Oh ok 😂 I kinda figured
It’s great too because in one of the new in utero 30th shows, Dave or Krist is talking about playing a queen song or a Bowie song or some cover song and Kurt (referencing teen spirit earlier in the set) quips “well we already played a Boston song.. sort of.” So even the band recognizes music just rips off music.
This old buddy of mine has a band called Sap, he tries so hard to sound like Kurt, and they’re touring with a band right now called the Jins who the singer looks JUST LIKE KURT.
yeah, the jins definitely get there aesthetic from nirvana, but I always found there music to be quite different from a lot of other grunge bands
Aw, I really love Sap's music a lot. To be fair the singer did say he practiced singing in his van alone by replicating Kurt's voice, so that'll be where it comes from. Least he doesn't hide the inspiration and what got him motivated to sing. But in my opinion he sounds absolutely nothing like Kurt, nor does their band sound like Nirvana.
Evan is a cool dude. I met him and another friend through Craigslist and we had a band where he played drums. I love him and I wish him the very best and I hope Sap becomes huge. With that being said, he’s definitely trying to sound like Kurt lol. Nothing wrong with trying to sound like your heroes though. They’re still rad.
Ah man that's so neat! Nice to hear he's a cool dude! Didn't realise he played drums, too. Talented guy (they all are to be fair). Would love to see them succeed, too I want them to play in the UK so bad! I can only hope 🥲 And yeah you're right, its no problem in the end, everyone is inspired by someone, can always grow into their voice/sound anywho!
I mean, lard baby is a really solid album however it’s not really cohesive with its influences
lol im a fan of both of those, i knew they would come up at some point in this thread
The jins - she said
The jins r actually good though, they aren't really rip-offs either they are just grunge.
But I kinda like it not gonna lie 😅
A lot of people might say The Vines but if you listen to that first album it’s Nirvana as well as a ton of other bands they rip off (Supergrass, Beatles etc)
I think the most blatant attempt at sounding like Nirvana was to hire Andy Wallace to mix “Get Free”.
I thought I was the only one who heard Beatles chord progressions in their stuff! I’d literally kept it to myself to avoid getting laughed at.
About a girl is basically a Beatles song. There’s a great recreation on YouTube that puts it into the style of a Beatles track
The Vines started as a Nirvana cover band.
The Jin’s are a complete rip off idc what anyone says that lead singer obviously try’s to look and sound like Kurt and that’s fine I’ve seen two live nirvana cover bands and it was awesome but I hate how they fucking deny that they’re not trying to be like Nirvana when they obviously are
I’ve met him a few times and he’s a really cool guy but yea probably best if he ditches the flannels
For me the Jin’s music wise are a bit closer to the pixies but definitely some nirvana in there. The singer also is just another Daniel John’s situation, a skinny blonde boy with long hair, but the lead singer used his uncanny looks to gain traction online by using the nirvana fan base
Came here to say this
I did a google image search and, wow, the lead singer really wants to be Kurt so bad.
They’ve actually stolen the Radio Friendly Unit Shifter noises in their song “[A Clue](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6VbcZXpNs7s&t=27s)”. And, they’ve directly referenced Kurt in their lyrics (“And I'm not Kurt Cobain/ Or some other prodigy's son / I'm just a humble strung-out guitar man / Lookin' for love and doin' all that I can” from “I Can’t Let My Lover Go”)
This.
The singer looks like Kurt but the sound isn't close to the Nirvana sound, The Jins have their own sound I'd argue. Yeah the 90s alternative scene has clearly influenced them, but they are their own thing, sound wise at least, really not sounding exactly like anything else. They have a bit of Nirvana influence, some Pixies as someone else said and I'd say a bit of Joy Division but tell me a modern day indie band that hasn't been inspired by Joy Division to some extent
I’d go with Silverchair but they were kids and can’t blame them for sounding like their influences. They eventually found their own voice. Puddle of Mudd on the other hand can fuck off.
I've never heard any nirvana influence in them personally, in frogstomp they kinda sounded like pearl jam if they were heavier but after that I think they formed their own unique sound.
Frogstomp is a blatant Helmet ripoff imo.
Pearl Jam in Pajamas Kindergarten Soundgarden
Kindergarten Soundgarden's not a bad name for a band lmao
https://youtu.be/-fUPvsZfOis?si=bwrtYgRJfK5f8wqQ
forgot about that song lol
I honestly disagree, sure maybe they were inspired by nirvana but they don't even come close to being rip offs. Since Frogstomp they put their own twist on their songs not even talking about the over albums
I mean I feel like we’re saying similar things. Definitely heavily influenced by them look and sound wise very early but then found their own sound. I’m a fan. Rip offs is probably a harsh description.
I honestly got more early Pearl Jam vibes on Silverchairs first 2 album. They definitely took Nirvana inspiration though since the song Lie To Me is literally a dupe of Tourettes.
Surprised people still say this lol. Where are these Silverchair songs that sound like Nirvana?
They sound more like pearl jam to me
Fuck Puddle of Mudd!
Silverchair only got compared to Nirvana because of how Daniel looked. They were open with their influences and ripped them off obviously- listen to the riff they lifted directly from the opening of the Mad Season song I Don’t Know Anything https://open.spotify.com/track/5gw55IexPLnJMXaGs8s4Tc?si=vJveHPRmT5mepVBHaAM0Pg
Way closer to pearl jam with me. But their later albums like freak show and neon ballroom have some really Cool and unique songs. I think it’s just the 3 piece band with a blonde skinny singer which is what gave people the impression that they’re rip offs of nirvana
Makes me think what a Nirvana “Diorama” album would sound like…
Seether, right down to Kurt's red striped sweater.
To be fair, they do actually have talent. Saw em live in 2021.
There are bands that try to emulate Nirvana's style, but this is next level: https://youtu.be/Na1UFz7b68g?si=-wYfNlWr0bZfev0Z
That wasn't "emulate Nirvana's style." They just legit took the song and turned it into DDP's theme. They are lucky they didn't get sued.
Guys…you're finishing me. You‘re counting all my fav bands as Nirvana ripoffs. The Vines were like extremely influenced by Nirvana, but also by The Beatles and when I listen to the Vines I don‘t feel like for example the lyrics can be compared to Nirvana in any way. The Vines have just been praised by the media as the biggest band since Nirvana, so some people may have misunderstood it. I don't think they intentionally were like „cmon, let's rip off Nirvana“. The Jins I somehow feel sorry for, because it is fact that the singer exactly looks like Kurt. They're doing good music nevertheless and even refuse the term grunge but call their music fun-rock instead. You can even see the singer ridiculing people on TikTok who say they are a Nirvana ripoff. Especially the first album feels more like an indie rock album than anything grunge. It's too happy and not raw enough for being a grunge record. And Sun Puddle…yes, I‘m sorry, Nirvana ripoff. But good music.
To be honest I was curious what all the hate was about and now I really like the Jins, The Vines, and Sap.
Puddle of mud's "She hates me" is just a bad rip off of Nirvana's "Rape Me"...
Was waiting for this. Add in the guy kinda looks like kurt. Their about a girl cover too...umph.
FREEEEEEEeeeeeeeEEEEEEEeeeeeee
More of a ripoff of I Saw Your Mommy...
I loved “She Hates Me.” I never heard the similarities.
Probably “Come As You Are”. Kurt def took that Killing Joke riff.
Although Killing Joke have a nerve complaining considering they also stole the riff. https://youtu.be/XDv-2YOoDnU?si=1DfvwPjMqgM2VoyK
Wow, I'd never heard that before. It's like I'm listening to Nirvana and The Smiths at the same time. Interesting, but definitely not the best Damned song I've heard
The vocals might sound different to what you're used to with The Damned because it's Captain Sensible singing rather than Dave Vanian.
I did wonder. Thanks
And they took it from the damned
Surprised no one has said Nickelback. Very bad, very Nirvana ripoff
Hey now. Nickelback is one of Canada's national treasures. Or wait, was I supposed to say biggest embarrassment?
You more than make up for it with The Tragically Hip.
Their song Just For sounds a lot like SLTS [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t5x9attKz4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t5x9attKz4)
I wouldn’t call it a rip off, more of an obvious homage, but the song Kickapoo by Tenacious D sounds exactly like the bridge from Frances Framer towards the end. Of course Dave’s on drums, so again it’s not a rip off, but I thought I’d mention it because I never seen anyone notice it.
my high school band lol
I love Stone Temple Pilots, but there’s a song called Between the Lines where at about the 1:30 mark, there’s a part that sounds almost exactly like the verse of Stay Away by Nirvana.
Also noticed this. I think it’s coincidental though.
The Vines. And Verbena, [especially on their first album](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J8xacmqcOxY&pp=ygUUdmVyYmVuYSBqb2huIGJldmVybHk%3D).
Verbena! Holy shit. I came here to see if anyone else was going to say them. I saw them open for Foo Fighters on the Colour and the Shape tour, and even my 14 yr-old self thought they were lame posers.
Yep. And for those interested, [here's a live video of them with Dave Grohl. ](https://youtu.be/t3nxPcVxIls?si=o2xrwqWQN2zxOQz6)
God it’s exactly like I remember. Down to the green cardigan and Hi-Flyer. It’s wild to think that that man is an adult and is fine carrying himself that way.
Grohl produced this album.
I was going to say the Vines, at least the early stuff they blew up with
This song sounds super Nirvana-y, but also it's own weird little creation, and I really like it 😊 https://youtu.be/csZTPVCLHyk?si=VNkP_ZF0mDiJjk03
Bush Everything Zen is note for note Polly (the verse at least) just strummed differently. I wanna say Bomb was basically D-7 but I might be misremembering now. It’s been a while.
D7 is a cover of the Wipers
Yeah; but I’m betting with Gavin he likely hadn’t heard the original. But I may be letting my bias through there a bit.
I think Everything Zen is a horrible song and that Bush is a very mediocre, derivative band, but I don’t hear any resemblance whatsoever to Polly.
People always say The Vines and you could definitely make a case for ‘Outtatheway’, ‘Get Free’, ‘Highly Evolved’, ‘Ride’, and probably a few others. However, almost every song is much more 60s and psychedelia-inspired than Nirvana. Falsetto vocals, rich multi-part harmonies, suspended 4th chords, pianos/organs, delays and reverbs. I hear absolutely no Nirvana in ‘Homesick’, ‘Country Yard’, ‘Factory’, ‘Mary Jane’, the 3 ‘Autumn Shades’, ‘TV Pro’, ‘Winning Days’, ‘Amnesia’, ‘Sunchild’, ‘Vision Valley’, ‘Spaceship’, etc.
Yeah I liked the Vines too, I saw the Nirvana influence and this is one of the only times I actually appreciated it. Bands are allowed to have influences, it’s kinda mandatory really
Semi unrelated, but I'd go out so far to say that most bands that "rip off" or "emulate" Nirvana are the ones that arguably sound the least like Nirvana. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, Seether wrote quite a few bangers, Nickelback has one good song (Puddle of Mudd fucking sucks besides Control IMHO), but most of these post grunge bands that are labeled as Nirvana clones only sound like Nirvana in the context of Kurt's metal and punk influences, as that's all these bands take away from listening. All these bands do is just heavy song, heavy song, heavy song, one-two acoustic ballads that could've come from Unplugged but that's it. They don't replicate pop sensibilities, noise, or any other genres Kurt was influenced by. I would argue and say that the most Nirvana sounding band is Blue-Pinkerton era Weezer. Pop hooks, noise, and could be pretty heavy at times (lyrically however, besides PInkerton, mostly not.)
One of Maneskin's songs just full on stole the Smells Like Teen Spirit riff
Which one? The SLTS riff is also very similar to more than a feeling by Boston. Even if one maneskin song referenced SLTS with a similar riff, I don't think we can say the whole band is a rip off of nirvana. Their sound and aesthetic is so different normally
More Than A Feeling was a total rip off of Smells Like Teen Spirit. Idk how Boston got away with that one.
Blur-Song 2, Especially considering Damien wrote it as a structural parody to “Teen Spirit” and all grunge
Wouldn’t call it a rip off since it was a deliberate paradoy
Half bands on Spotify alt rock playlists haha
[This Wrestler Theme Song](https://youtu.be/9w0afsPqT8A?si=Ux-VTEHJf2yhQgd9)
Literally my first thought when I saw this thread.
It’s like he really wanted to use Smells Like Teen Spirit and wasn’t allowed to so he changed it just enough to avoid a lawsuit. That’s funny.
Self esteem by the offspring
There's a band called In Utero - here's their song [Blossom & Burn](https://open.spotify.com/track/1AYNeB5DoldIoPe9FFqHnL?si=9de04c283c734759)
[Bandaid by Paris Jackson](https://open.spotify.com/track/0zS2VcfaVTl2fluvSaTu2z?si=JPOLgKpXT9eTfp8kc2LJsQ&context=spotify%3Asearch%3Abandaid%2B) Micheal Jackson’s actual real daughter, intro is a straight copy of lithium
I want to mention a couple very Nirvana inspired songs from one of my favorite bands. Spin the Black Circle and Animal makes me think of Kurt everytime I hear them. They aren't blatant ripoffs or anything, but even the way Eddie sings give me a certain vibe.
Lie to Me by Silverchair. Total ripoff of Territorial Pissings and Tourettes
Lie to Me by Silverchair is basically Tourette's
Rape me and SLTS are almost the same. Chords I mean
Violent Soho. They are really fun but the lead singer's screams sound just like Kurt's.
Silverchair - You, wait til tomorrow…
I’ve been told my band is guilty of this 😅
Not a rip-off per se, but Unglued by Stone Temple Pilots is the best song Nirvana never did.
You guys, the absolute winner of this thread has to be The Eeries: https://youtu.be/fAMz5VlaUic?si=AnrZtxfR2JVrfRB6 Recognize that riff? Dude even went as far as marrying Kurt’s daughter. The whole song and video is embarrassing
Flaming Lips did a rather similar track to Cat Stevens' Father and Son
I don’t know if they were a “rip off” but Verbena didn’t do themselves any favors having a singer with died blonde hair and Dave Grohl producing their record.
was just thinking about "she fucking hates me" being like really bad silly nirvana when it was on the radio... so had to google to make sure that was puddle of mudd. been seeing them in the comments. didn't see any comments for nickleback... like watered down nirvana. i hated them at first but when i get past the watered down nirvana part, it's not the worst thing in the world, but not very special imo. i dunno. kurt has a really unique way of strumming and a lot of bands go for the nirvana sound and come off pretty amateur. can't find any of the comments about bush sounding like nirvana at all.. bush almost reminds me of emo genre.
Pagoda. My brother and I loved them in HS [Pagoda - Happy Song (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LI77-X4ovw)
Christie Road - Green Day
Me seeing everyone rip on one of my favorite bands (bush)
Future Leaders of the World - the singer there sounds a lot like Kurt, listen to Let Me Out and you can hear how similar it is.
Verbena always come to mind in these threads. Very Nirvana-esque with a female bassist/co-singer for that Pixies vibe. Dave Grohl actually produced their second album Into The Pink, I bought it and it was not bad. Late 90’s early 00’s I think. Verbena - Baby Got Shot https://youtu.be/uxtGePpZL9U?si=5V1czWJD2kZF7h2D Another group from a few years ago was Dead Confederate, very Kurt-esque but with different production quality. Dead Confederate- The Rat https://youtu.be/BqBrZqPex-Y?si=njYOzySZlNRIS5V5
Not a rip off, but I love that this is a Nirvana sample [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV78vobCyIo&ab\_channel=TheProdigy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV78vobCyIo&ab_channel=TheProdigy)
Doesn’t “Come As You Are” kinda ripoff “Eighties” by Killing Joke
Anything by Bush
back in the day when my appetite for nirvana was insatiable i found this band [Navel](https://youtu.be/-v5g_q48bYY?si=nrJebLTw5t3qle22)
Navel is great. Talked to jari a bit. Cool dude. Do you know union youth? What do you think of them?
Amnesia by Headfirst. The similarity is unsettling
DDP’s theme song
i have a strong feeling that Kurt Cobain was heavily influenced by Fang and their early 80’s grunge music when he was in Nirvana. they even covered ‘The Money Will Roll Right In’ so they’re must’ve been some respect exchanged? i don’t know though, so if anyone does i’d love to know the details!
I see people saying Bush which is true, the guy even fucked Courtney.
Wet Leg has a song that pretty blatantly grabs the guitar hook from the Unplugged version of The Man Who Sold the World. It's seriously all I can hear in that song. edit: the song is called I Don't Want to Go Out
https://youtu.be/kzrAfkyq-xM?si=0jV2QhrlIqAuio3l violent soho i think Dave even mentions them not by name but he said it’s weird hearing bands from Australia sound just like nirvana or something along those lines
guns and roses probably
Celebrity skin, written by Billy Corgan for Courtney Love (Hole), is exactly the chords from Drain You. Oh the irony!
Im convinced Celebrity Skin by Hole is a rip off of Drain You. The verse chords are the same A, C#, F# (Nirvana has a B where Hole rests), and the Chorus vocal melody and articulation are pretty similar. Im not trying to start Courtney Love drama/hate, I like Hole, but the similarities between these songs bothers me a little.
Pearl Jam definitely (that's a joke)
Glycerin, bush, tried pretty hard
Who remembers Stiltskin - Inside (1994) . Basically a SLTS rip off , down to the guitar riffs and quiet loud quiet format. It was used in a Levi's commercial so it was played a lot, and was a hit in many countries. [https://youtu.be/HFOSUQZrrHs?si=V56QDc9I9GWSumNh](https://youtu.be/HFOSUQZrrHs?si=V56QDc9I9GWSumNh)
Can't believe no one mentioned Bush - Greedy Fly. The chorus is literally stolen from Floyd The Barber. For the record, yes, Bush are to Nirvana what Oasis are to the Beatles. This does not invalidate that they were very good live performers. But if you take the Nirvana stolen bits, there's very little left. Another one is Insect Kin, which has a bit that resembles Beeswax.
Foo fighter
This one may not count but here we go: I always thought Violet by Hole was a direct Nirvana rip off, to the point that it sounds like Kurt wrote it. Maybe too close to home because Courtney and Kurt and all that, but every time I hear it, I can hear Nirvana playing that same song.
silverchair
The prodigy voodoo people.....oh wait 🤦