like a version
Fontaines D.C. have paid tribute to both Bring Me the Horizon and Nirvana during a recent cover performance.
The Irish rockers unveiled their cover of Bring Me the Horizon’s 2013 single “Can You Feel My Heart” as part of an appearance on Like a Version, the long-running covers segment from Australian radio station triple j.
The performance was recorded earlier in the month, during the band’s recent tour of Australia, though it was broadcast on the morning of Friday, March 21 (Australia time). Though triple j have long presented the covers as being live, Fontaines D.C. vocalist Grian Chatten told fans on Monday (March 17) the band were forced to cancel a run of shows in Mexico and Latin America after he suffered a herniated disc which left him unable to perform.
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As is standard for Like a Version, Fontaines D.C.’s appearance launched with a rendition of an original, with the band tearing through 2024’s “Starburster” before debuting their Bring Me the Horizon tribute. Though officially billed as a rendition of “Can You Feel My Heart,” the performance shifts focus after the first chorus and sees Chatten instead singing the lyrics to Nirvana’s 1993 single “Heart-Shaped Box.”
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“I think the sound of that song, the electronic elements, and just the general vibe of it kind of reflects stuff that we were touching on our last album, Romance,” explained guitarist Conor Curley in a post-performance interview.
“It kind of seemed like a good place to start, and it’s a moody, beautiful song. I always get a little a bit nostalgic about that band just because it reminds me of reading and crying as a teenager and stuff like that, so I’ve always kind of kept tabs on them.”
“‘Heart-Shaped Box’ is an absolute classic,” he added in reference to Nirvana’s appearance in the performance. “Grian just started singing it when we were getting the sounds, and it was almost kind of like, ‘Do we switch it to that and use the instrumentation?’ So, it kind of just made sense.”
Notably, it’s not the first time that Fontaines D.C. have been the focus of the Like a Version studio in recent months. In February, Porter Robinson used his appearance on the segment to cover the band’s 2024 single “Favourite.”
“’Favourite’ was, no pun intended, one of my favorite songs of the last year,” Robinson said after the fact. “It was the song that made me a fan of Fontaines D.C. I just love it. I love major-key music. I love music that’s extremely catchy and extremely hooky. And I love the way that this song feels like it’s constantly tumbling forward.”
Having first launched in 2004, the Like a Version series has gone from being a near-impromptu acoustic affair to featuring larger studio productions. Numerous artists have taken part over the past two decades, with the likes of Billie Eilish, Childish Gambino, Arctic Monkeys, and more reinventing classic tracks in the process.
Beabadoobee has used her recent time Down Under to share a cover of a beloved New Zealand classic, covering Bic Runga’s “Sway” for Like a Version, the long-running segment from Australian radio station triple j.
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Recorded during the 24-year-old singer’s latest trip to Australia as part of the Laneway Festival, Beabadoobee offered up two performances for the session, including her original “Beaches” and a take on Runga’s 1997 single “Sway”.
Originally released on Runga’s debut album Drive, “Sway” peaked at No. 7 on the local New Zealand charts and has since gone on to be considered as one of the country’s most beloved songs. In 2001, the track was ranked at No. 6 on APRA’s (the Australasian Performing Right Association) list of the top 100 New Zealand songs of all time.
“ I chose to cover this song because my mum used to play it a lot when I was growing up and I mean, she’s badass,” Beabadoobee explained in a post-performance interview. “It was just really nice seeing an Asian woman kind of playing indie music like that.
“I was scared I wasn’t gonna do it justice,” she added. “But I love this song so much and if anything, I’m doing it for my mum and she doesn’t know that I’m actually covering this song so I’m really excited. Every cover I’ve done in my career has been for my mum, so I hope she likes this one too.”
Indeed, this isn’t the first cover that Beabadoobee has delivered in recent months. Back in October, she joined the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge to share her take on Sabrina Carpenter’s “Taste,” blended with a little bit of The Corrs’ “Breathless.”
The BBC performance also included a performance of “Beaches,” which was featured on Beabadoobee’s third album, This Is How Tomorrow Moves. The record has been her most successful to date, becoming her first to top the U.K. charts, and even reached No. 34 on the Billboard 200. It also hit No. 6 on the Independent Albums and Top Album Sales charts, and snuck into No. 10 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart.
Beabadoobee is also up for British artist of the year and best alternative/rock act at the Brit Awards, which will be handed out on Saturday (March 1).
Stranger Things star Joe Keery and his Djo project have taken on Haim’s “Gasoline” during his recent visit to Australia.
The performance took place as part of an appearance on Like a Version, the long-running covers segment from Australian radio station triple j. Keery was in the country over the past few weeks performing as part of the long-running Laneway Festival, which featured Charli XCX, Clairo, and Beabadoobee atop the bill.
The two-song session was launched with a rendition of Djo’s original track “Basic Being Basic,” which was issued in late January as the lead single from his upcoming third album, The Crux. For the customary cover, the focus was then shifted to Haim’s “Gasoline,” originally featured on their 2020 album, Women in Music Pt. III, and hit No. 30 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart,
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“Love that album, I think they’re such great artists,” Keery said of the original in a post-performance interview. “I love that they’re sisters and they’re making music together. I’ve got a big family, and the other song that we played, ‘Basic’, my sisters are singing on that. So I thought it’d be sort of cool to pay homage to them for that reason.”
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“It was a fun experience to me, and I hope they like it,” he added. “Shout out to them. I hope they’re making new music soon because we deserve another album from them. We’re overdue.”
Currently, Women in Music Pt. III serves as Haim’s most recent record, though the familial trio provided a video update in 2023 to reveal they were working on their fourth album. That same year also saw the release of “Home”, which was included on the soundtrack to Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.
This isn’t the first time Djo’s music has been the focus of the Like a Version studio, either. In May 2024, Canadian quartet The Beaches covered “End of Beginning” for their own appearance on the segment. Originally released on the 2022 album Decide, the track gained traction in 2024, resulting in both a peak of No. 11 on the Hot 100, and a top rock song nomination at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards.
“To see that was really kind of a cool and a crazy experience,” Keery reflected. “I’ve never met them, but they did such a cool cover and to hear someone else’s interpretation of a song that I wrote was a really unique experience and something I’ll always remember.”
Having first launched in 2004, the Like a Version series has gone from being a near-impromptu acoustic affair to featuring larger studio productions. Numerous artists have taken part over the past two decades, with the likes of Billie Eilish, Childish Gambino, Arctic Monkeys, and more reinventing classic tracks in the process.
Porter Robinson has delivered a little bit of romance, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
The U.S. producer has shared his energetic, pop-influenced take on Irish outfit Fontaines D.C.’s 2024 single “Favourite” as part of his recent appearance on Like a Version, the long-running covers segment from Australian radio station triple j.
Recorded during Robinson’s Australia tour earlier this month but aired on the morning of Friday, Feb. 14 (Australian time), the cover was well-timed to coincide with Valentine’s Day, with the original track even closing out Fontaines D.C.’s Romance album last year.
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The cover is emblematic of Robinson’s recent stylistic shift, with 2024’s Smile! 😀 seeing him move away from his electronic roots and introducing sounds more aligned with the pop-punk and hyperpop genres. The change in sonic focus was a bold move for Robinson, and though the album became his first not to chart on the Billboard 200, it did peak at No. 10 on the Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
Fontaines D.C., meanwhile, also experienced something of a change in sound for their album Romance. While their previous efforts were more post-punk influenced, their fourth LP was somewhat more polished and aligned with the alternative rock genre.
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It was a commercially-successful change, however. It became the band’s first album to reach the Billboard 200 (hitting No. 97), and it earned them two Grammy nominations, including Best Rock Album and Best Alternative Music performance for lead single “Starburster”.
“’Favourite’ was, no pun intended, one of my favorite songs of the last year,” Robinson said in a post-performance interview with triple j. “It was the song that made me a fan of Fontaines D.C. I just love it. I love major-key music. I love music that’s extremely catchy and extremely hooky. And I love the way that this song feels like it’s constantly tumbling forward.”
Robinson’s Like a Version session also featured an original rendition of “Cheerleader”, and adds to a long history of memorable performances on the program.
Having first launched in 2004, the series has gone from being a near-impromptu acoustic affair to featuring larger studio productions. Numerous artists have taken part over the past two decades, with the likes of Billie Eilish, Childish Gambino, Arctic Monkeys, and more reinventing classic tracks in the process. As Robinson explains, the history and impact of the segment was not lost on him.
“I was so nervous to do this [performance], because I really, really do consider it an institution,” he explained. “Like a Version is a musical institution, and I wanted to make sure I put my best foot forward on it, respected the format and gave something that was listenable.
“This isn’t just like a video that lives online, this gets heard and this gets played,” he added. “So I just wanted to respect the listener to be like, ‘Let’s make this as good as it can be’.”
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