The past made no sense, the future looks tense

Formed after Green River broke up and Mark Arm reunited with Steve Turner, Mudhoney were Sub Pop’s first big success story: the über-cool Sonic Youth, who were big fans, asked them to support on their 1989 European tour, and the band received much critical acclaim in the UK. They played an important part in the inexorable rise of Everett True. By drawing attention to the vibrant Seattle scene, and through Arm’s distinctive, nasal vocals and their distorted garage-rock sound and staggeringly chaotic live shows, the band made it possible for the likes of Nirvana and Soundgarden to receive wider attention and for grunge to go global. Their contribution to the Singles soundtrack, ‘Overblown’, is one of its highlights: a classic collapsible Turner riff accompanied by Arm’s characteristically sharp lyrics about how media hype was taking their town away from them.