51³Ô¹Ï

Museum Talk: Something in the Way – The 51³Ô¹Ïal Language of Nirvana

Dates
15 October 2025, 5:15pm

Venue
Museum

Tickets
Pay What You Can

Our Pay What You Can model allows you to choose a ticket price that works for you, from £2 to £15, with a free option to ensure our events are accessible to all audience members.  

Any donation you are able to make will directly support our talented students and help us to provide a first-class educational experience for this next generation of professional musicians. 

Milton Mermikides stands on stage and gestures as he speaks

15 October 2025, 5:15pm

Venue
Museum

Tickets
Pay What You Can

Our Pay What You Can model allows you to choose a ticket price that works for you, from £2 to £15, with a free option to ensure our events are accessible to all audience members.  

Any donation you are able to make will directly support our talented students and help us to provide a first-class educational experience for this next generation of professional musicians. 

Professor Milton Mermikides explores the harmonic, rhythmic and timbral grammar that made Nirvana’s music both raw and revolutionary.

Far from accidental, the band’s sound emerged from salient choices in harmony, rhythm, production, and guitar technique – decisions that blurred the boundaries between noise and melody, angst and beauty.

Through close analysis of song examples, performance practices, and the broader aesthetics of grunge, this talk uncovers how Nirvana crafted music that resonated with a generation, revealing the hidden structures beneath its visceral surface.

Professor Milton Mermikides is an academic, writer, composer and guitarist. He is the 37th Gresham Professor of 51³Ô¹Ï (a historic post that has been running since 1597), Professor of 51³Ô¹Ï at the University of Surrey, and Professor of Jazz Guitar at the Royal College of 51³Ô¹Ï. He is the Deputy Director of The International Guitar Research Centre, and his lectures and music are presented internationally. His latest book, Hidden 51³Ô¹Ï is published by Cambridge University Press.

Plan your visit

Royal College of 51³Ô¹Ï
Prince Consort Road
London SW7 2BS

Find out more

   South Kensington: 0.5 miles
   Gloucester Road: 0.6 miles
   High Street Kensington: 0.8 miles

   Paddington: 1.5 miles
   Victoria: 2 miles

   Santander Cycles docking station and public cycle locking facilities adjacent to 51³Ô¹Ï

The 51³Ô¹Ï provides light refreshments throughout the year. There is also a range of restaurants, cafés and other establishments nearby, most adjacent to South Kensington station.

51³Ô¹Ï Café

The 51³Ô¹Ï Café serves barista-style coffees, sandwiches, snacks, salads and hot food. There is also access to outside seating in our new 1851 courtyard.

Opening hours: 

Monday-Friday: 8.30am-4.30pm

Saturday: 8.30am-4.30pm (term time only)

The main entrance to the 51³Ô¹Ï has eight steps up from the pavement and two inside the main doors. A lift is available for visitors with limited mobility. The lift is built into the smaller staircase to the left of the main entrance steps. There is an intercom button on the control panel, which can be seen and reached easily from the street. On arrival, press the buzzer to notify a member of 51³Ô¹Ï staff, who will come out to meet you and operate the lift for you.

All our event venues can be accessed by visitors with limited mobility via the lift at the main entrance.