NEWS
Kurstin x Grohl: The Hanukkah Sessions 2021: Night One
Courtesy PhotoFoo Fighters leader Dave Grohl and producer Greg Kurstin rebooted their “Hanukkah Sessions” project on Sunday night (Nov. 28) — the first night of the Festival of Lights — with a bone-crunching, black metal take on Lisa Loeb‘s gentle 1994 ballad “Stay (I Missed You).” After running through eight covers of songs by Jewish artists last year, including tracks by the Beastie Boys, Drake, Mountain, Peaches, Bob Dylan, Elastica, The Knack and the Velvet Underground, the demonic duo roared back with a fresh take on Loeb’s signature song for the first entry in this year’s edition.
“Welcome back to the menorah, y’all. Let’s kick it this year’s Hanukkah sessions with one of Dallas, Texas’s favorite Jewish daughters,” Grohl wrote alongside the pair’s low budget video for the song. “So put on your coffee shop spectacles and your Betsey Johnson dress and HAVA listen to this…”
The clip opens with Grohl rocking a vintage mid-1990s flowered dress and chunky glasses as he croons the song’s gentle opening riffs. It’s just a Rickroll-style head fake, though, as the camera zooms in Dave’s agitated, shaking face bellowing the chorus in his best black metal scream for a completely unexpected, delightful tonal shift. Your Hanukkah never rocked so hard.
Loeb appreciated the effort, tweeting out that Grohl and Kurstin did a “great job,” and also shouting out the singer’s smart sartorial choice of a vintage Betsey Johnson dress.
Sharleen Spiteri joined BBC Radio 2’s The Sara Cox Breakfast Show ahead of Texas taking the stage to launch the main live music programme at Radio 2 in the Park in Stirling.
Checking in from rehearsals, the Texas frontwoman spoke about getting ready for the band’s opening performance at City Park. Radio 2’s annual flagship festival takes place there from 11 to 13 September 2026. "I’m match fit because I’ve had a couple of days’ rehearsals," Spiteri said. "We’re kicking the whole weekend off, which we’re very much looking forward to, so everybody’s got to get ready to party."
Before the live acts take over, Friday’s DJ Pre-Party gets the weekend started with Radio 2 favourites Sara Cox, DJ Spoony, Gary Davies, Michelle Visage, and Rylan behind the decks.
Jo Whiley helped set the mood with a special programme from Stirling’s Tolbooth venue. Working with BBC Introducing Scotland, the broadcast put the spotlight on Scotland’s emerging music scene through performances and conversations with Fright Years, Alice Faye, and James Emmanuel.
Fright Years, a four member band from Edinburgh, played "Never Been Wrong" and offered their take on Simple Minds’ "Waterfront." Glasgow singer and songwriter Alice Faye, the BBC Introducing in Scotland 2026 winner, paired "Some Brief Encounter" with a rendition of Lulu’s arrangement of "I Started a Joke." James Emmanuel, who was born in Nigeria and now lives in Edinburgh, sang "Brothers & Sisters" before taking on Chaka Khan’s "I’m Every Woman."
"We’re all about celebrating BBC Introducing and all the music that’s come out of Scotland," Whiley told listeners. "It's about celebrating the local music scene and the incredibly important work that BBC Introducing does to support independent, up-and-coming artists."
Joining the conversation were Stephanie Cheape, presenter of BBC Introducing in Scotland, Tara McLoughlin, venue manager for Stirling Council, and student radio presenters representing the University of Stirling’s Air3 Radio.
Listeners can catch the complete interviews and live performances from the weekend’s programmes on BBC Sounds.
