Elvana, O2 Academy, Newcastle

A BLOKE in a white jump suit pretending to be Elvis Presley pretending to be Kurt Cobain.

That's the premise for Elvana, the self-styled world's finest Elvis fronted Nirvana tribute act.

It can't possibly work, can it?

But, amazingly, it does work – and gloriously so.

Elvis – joined on stage by Danny Cobain, Rob Novoselic and Bobby Grohl – delivered a power-packed, high-energy two hour set that had the crowd jumping – and howling with laughter in equal measure at Newcastle's O2 Academy on Saturday night.

The frontman, a potty-mouthed dodgy Elvis impersonator is, of course the star of the show.

He doesn't look or sound much like Presley, and looks and sounds even less like Cobain, but it doesn't matter.

This charismatic singer had the adoring crowd lapping up his every word and going crazy as he strutted across the stage.

And he was mobbed as if he were the King himself when he jumped into the crowd to deliver his version of Heart Shaped Box.

Although it's clear you're not supposed to take Elvis too seriously, make no mistake this is a serious band who are a serious Nirvana tribute act.

Extremely accomplished renditions of the grunge sound pioneered by Cobain's Seattle outfit are at the core of this performance.

With one or two Elvis songs given the Nirvana treatment – most memorably Suspicious Minds – Elvana deliver on all levels.

But ultimately it's Elvis's show and it's his presence that lifts Elvana from being just another straight-up covers band to something extremely special indeed.

Andrew White