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Kurt Cobain loved our record so much he wore it out

After almost a decade apart the iconic feminist punk band, The Raincoats, thought they were done for good, then devoted superfan Kurt Cobain stepped in to their lives.

Gina Birch, a 21-year-old ball of energy from Nottingham and Ana da Silva, a laid back 28-year-old from a Portuguese island, met as art students in seventies London. It was the heyday of punk: the city was buzzing with squats, sticky-floored clubs and a sense of possibility. Inspired by the DIY-punk ethos of the time, the two newly-formed friends decided to start a band, The Raincoats. There was just one catch, they could barely play an instrument. Bolstered by enthusiasm, attitude and defiance they created their own off-kilter, idiosyncratic sound that found a fan base across the world. But after three albums, creative and personal differences led the band to break up. In their decade apart, Gina studied film and Ana worked in an antiques shop. In 1992, Kurt Cobain visited the antiques shop where Ana worked and asked if she could replace his copy of their first album. He'd played it so much he'd worn it out. And then this very famous, devoted fan, grunge legend, Kurt Cobain, brought The Raincoats back together for one last chapter.

The Raincoats story is also told in a book called: Shouting Out Loud by Audrey Golden.

Presenter: Asya Fouks
Producer: Elena Angelides

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Two images of Gina and Ana are laid over each other. In the first, it is them today, looking straight at the camera. Ana is wearing a black jacket over a stripy top, she has short brown hair. Gina is wearing a black top with a bright yellow necklace and shoulder length curly blonde hair. In the second, black and white, image they are on stage with their band, both with guitars in hand, singing their hearts out into the microphones. Credit: Tonje Thilesen and Rocco)

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41 minutes

Last on

Fri 10 Oct 2025 02:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 9 Oct 2025 11:06GMT
  • Thu 9 Oct 2025 17:06GMT
  • Thu 9 Oct 2025 21:06GMT
  • Fri 10 Oct 2025 02:06GMT

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Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

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