A small, though excitable crowd gathered at UC Refectory on Saturday night to see one of the 90s most talented and tempestuous stars take the stage. It could be none other than Ms Courtney Love. What the Hell would happen tonight?

After a storming warm-up set from Melbourne’s The Mercy Kills, the beer queue formed, while a range of tiara-and Doc-Marten-wearing ladies pressed themselves up against the barriers in anticipation of the grunge goddess’ appearance.

And it didn’t take much – even a glimpse of Courtney Love as she made her way from the upstairs dressing room got the crowd cheering their delight. Minutes later, she was there onstage, bedecked in a black lace dress and masses on blonde hair – ready to let rip on her guitar and bring back the best of the Seattle sound.

Opening with this year’s Wedding Day was a gentle way to warm up the crowd, but after a bit of friendly banter (I still look hot, even though I haven’t seen a plastic surgeon in over a decade! ), the opening chords of Miss World from the seminal album Live Through This brought a roar as the mosh pit got its first real work out. From here we even had a Hey-Jude sing-a-long that sat a little awkwardly among the riff-driven rock from which it emerged.

A night with Courtney Love wouldn’t be without controversy, and it was at the end of the track that all the photographers were prematurely booted from the pit (I know they’re doing their job, but they always seem to shoot me when I’m pulling a face…), but from there the show went on without further disruption.

The set comprised a similar mix of the old and the new, with tracks such as Malibu as well received as those from Live Through This. If the last 20 years have had an impact on Ms Love, it was only to make her voice more husky – perfect for her style of craft and delivery. Violets was almost note-perfect with the backing band (apparently tonight known as The Cockpit) powering through the melody. The energy was all there, and, not until after almost 90 minutes did the last chords of Celebrity Skin signal the end of the main act.

For the encore, there were a couple of acoustic numbers and a growing sense that Courtney Love was getting a little ‘tired’. There was some slurring and, most strangely, a return to the failed Hey Jude sing-a-long, that seem to last only a few bars before she realised that she’d already tried this on. The communication with the audience seemed more confused, and it seemed the night was nearing a fairly anticlimactic ending.

However, underestimating Courtney Love is unwise at best.

Doll Parts tore the house apart, the mix of Courtney’s powerful voice and simple guitar riffs building into the screaming and repetitive chorus of ‘someday you will ache like I ache…’ bringing the crowd along with her to a powerful conclusion.

And with that it was done. With the Courtney Love hurricane gone from the stage, the crowd dispersed knowing that not only had they witnessed an icon of the grunge scene, but a fantastic show as well.

Photos by Brianna Olzen