In case you missed it, the rediscovery of a 34-year-old tape recording is making waves in the Calgary music scene. Why? Because on that tape is Nirvana’s 1991 concert at the Westward Club in Calgary.
The date was Monday, March 4, and in classic Calgary fashion, a spring blizzard ravaged the city. However, that didn’t stop dedicated music-lovers from attending the show of a lesser-known Seattle-based grunge band.
“I didn’t know them well at all,” admits Colin Hart. He was one of the estimated <200 people in attendance that night, having decided to check out the show after hearing “Negative Creep” on CJSW.
“My main memory was how such a huge voice was coming from such a small guy,” Hart recalls. “Kurt was a pretty tiny dude but obviously had the big vox.”
Stardom around the corner
Hart wouldn’t be the only one in awe of lead singer Kurt Cobain’s incredible vocals. Months later, the band would release the album Nevermind and lead single “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” launching them into mainstream success.
“Kurt Cobain was packing up his own guitar that night, and that’s something that six months later, after Nevermind broke, they had people to do that for them,” says Arif Ansari, founder and president of the Calgary Cassette Preservation Society.
Originally the passion project of Ansari, the Calgary Cassette Preservation Society began as a way to digitize music from lost scenes and bands from the ’90s. Over the years, Ansari’s collection has grown thanks to donations from music lovers across the city.
34 years later
The Nirvana show might have remained an anecdote told in fond recollection amongst certain circles in the city, but thanks to a dictophone recording of the concert and the work of Ansari, it’s about to be heard in an entirely new way.
“Jason Pay grabbed his dad’s dictophone and recorded the show that night, which is so bizarre to think about,” Ansari explains. “The sound quality is not phenomenal, but it’s a really great snapshot of a moment in time. People were even talking over the band, which is kind of funny. They were having a lot of fun.”
For readers whose birth year begins with the number 2, a dictophone is a microchip player primarily meant for voice notes. That is to say, the sound quality isn’t known for being impeccable. However, despite the tape being a third- or fourth-generation copy, Ansari says it “sounds surprisingly good.”
Ansari is one of the few people who have heard the tape so far, but it won’t be that way for long. The Ship & Anchor is hosting a listening party of the long-lost recording on Thursday, May 29, at 9 p.m. With no cover charge, it’s a great opportunity for fans young and old to gather and either relive the concert or experience a taste of what once was.
When: Thursday, May 29, 2025
Where: The Ship & Anchor — 534 17th Ave. SW
Time: 9 p.m.
Cost: Free
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