Paying tribute to Nirvana’s third and final album, the album artwork has been recreated on a pink background. Fans are being encouraged to visit the mural and to leave their messages for the band, honouring the 1993 album.

A mural has been unveiled in Camden to celebrate 30th anniversary of Nirvana’s third and final album, In Utero https://t.co/4JX5whFC8N pic.twitter.com/xQV9QpzHSO

— THE LINE of BEST FIT (@bestfitmusic) November 1, 2023

In Utero was an instant critical and commercial success, debuting at No.1 on the UK Albums Chart and No.1 on the US Billboard 200. The album included iconic tracks such as “Heart-Shaped Box,” “Dumb” and “Rape Me.” To celebrate its 30th anniversary, a special edition reissue of the album was released last week.  

The 30th Anniversary Edition of In Utero is out now! https://t.co/OOTiUVYqsR The Super Deluxe box sets contains 53 unreleased tracks, including two never before released complete concerts from the In Utero tour. Find your preferred format here: https://t.co/OOTiUVYqsR… pic.twitter.com/GtCAIwagvF — Nirvana (@Nirvana) October 27, 2023

Speaking on the album’s impact, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic said, “When you listen to it, it goes somewhere. It’s dark, it’s beautiful, it’s all points in between. It’s bittersweet. We recorded it in about a week and a few of the songs were the first take. We were well-rehearsed and loved playing together. That was our glue as a band. We played live and it was live to tape.”

Novoselic continued, “It’s amazing what can happen when three people with instruments get together. You could make so much sound in a way that captures the imagination. That’s the beauty of music: you invite people in. The record can be pretty, but it can also be dark. Going back to this record, I was just reminded of our humanity as a group. There were a lot of different statements on there and that’s what you get: the post-’Nevermind’ Nirvana, after becoming a world-famous band.”

The 30th anniversary reissue of In Utero has been released in several formats, including a limited-edition eight LP super deluxe box set, a five CD super deluxe box set and a digital super deluxe edition, amongst others.

Novoselic shared his thoughts on the reissue, saying, “This one’s got a lot of cool things like backstage passes and little things you can hold, like The Who’s ‘Live At Leeds’ record.”

He continued, “I’m excited about the live shows on there, because they used AI. We took the digital audio tapes from the soundboard in Rome, Seattle and Los Angeles, then the AI can separate all the instruments and we got a really good mix out of it.”

The In Utero 30th anniversary reissue is available to purchase in various formats here.

Stream In Utero (30th Anniversary Super Deluxe) below.

The tribute to the post-punk pioneer first appeared in October 2020 on a house in Port Street in the city’s Northern Quarter. Local artist Akse created the mural in collaboration with Headstock, a festival designed to bring together great music with mental wellbeing, in a bid to raise awareness for mental health and to promote Shout, a mental health free text messaging service constructed to help people with their mental wellbeing.

It’s come to light that the iconic Ian Curtis mural on Port Street has been painted over with my album artwork. This is the first time I’ve heard of this, me and my team are getting this fixed pronto. No way on earth would I want to disrespect a local hero like Ian.

MCR

— Aitch (@OfficialAitch) August 16, 2022

The rapper, however, to his credit, was quick to dispel any knowledge of the mural being tainted by an ad for his album, reassuring his Twitter followers of his desire to bring back the original artwork. He stated on the platform, “It’s come to light that the Ian Curtis mural on Port Street has been painted over with my album artwork. This is the first time I’ve heard of this, me and my team are getting this fixed pronto. No way on earth would I want to disrespect a local hero like Ian.”

The repainting of the mural will be done once more by the original artist Akse but in a different location, given that 75 Port Street now reportedly cannot be used anymore. The Star and Garter pub on Fairfield Street, a few streets to the South West of the original location, is now reportedly set to be the new location for the mural after it was revealed that Headstock are applying for planning permission to re-home the magnificent depiction of Curtis on the side of the pub.

The repainting of the mural is without a doubt a victory for Headstock and for the mental wellbeing of the people of Manchester and beyond and will, in turn, delight fans of Joy Division and of Curtis himself, who, after suffering from depression and epilepsy, sadly took his own life at the young age of 23, just before the release of Joy Division’s second album Closer and the group’s first North American tour.

Watch Joy Division perform “Transmission” on BBC music show Something Else in 1979 below: