Courtney Love had all eyes on her when she unveiled a scene-stealing metallic gown at the National Portrait Gallery in London’s Portrait Gala on Tuesday.
The 59-year-old musician shimmered in a voluminous silver gown that contrasted with her usual punk style.
Although Courtney was one of the guests at the all-star UK event, she also got a chance to take over the music when she performed a DJ set.
It was an encore performance for her, as she attended the National Portrait Gallery’s 2023 gala, which celebrated its reopening after a three-year refurbishment.
Courtney’s gown featured a slim, ruched bodice that highlighted her age-defying figure while featuring a busty, plunging neckline.
Courtney Love had all eyes on her when she unveiled a scene-stealing metallic gown at the National Portrait Gallery in London’s Portrait Gala on Tuesday
The 59-year-old musician shimmered in a voluminous silver gown that contrasted with her usual punk style
Her chest was decorated with silver jeweled patterns for an extra touch of elegance, and the ensemble featured a sheer black layer underneath to shape her short sleeves.
The widow of Kurt Cobain had an embellished silver cross dover her midriff, and additional layers of silver fabric emerged from it.
The dress included a wide, somewhat rumpled skirt that reached to the ground.
Courtney stayed on theme with several slim silver and diamond necklaces, as well as opulent dangling diamond earrings.
She styled her blond hair with long bangs and wore it braided in the back.
Later in the evening, Courtney took up station near one of the galleries with a makeshift DJ booth where she kept the tunes going for other guests.
It was a hometown gig for the influential rocker, as she has been living in London for several years, even though she was born in San Francisco and rose to prominence in the US.
In February, the Hole singer made news when she hinted at a reunion of her iconic grunge band during a surprise performance with Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong.
During one of his London shows at a small venue with his covers band side project, Courtney took the microphone over to sing lead on several power pop tunes, including the Cheap Trick classics Surrender and He’s A Whore, as well as the Tom Petty song Even The Losers.
The rocker also referenced her long time away from the stage when she first joined the band.
‘My name is Courtney Love. You may not remember me,’ she joked. ‘I’ve been living in a cave in Birmingham for about nine years. We’ll give this a f***ing try, right?’
Courtney’s gown featured a slim, ruched bodice that highlighted her age-defying figure while featuring a busty, plunging neckline. Her chest was decorated with silver jeweled patterns, and the ensemble featured a sheer black layer underneath to shape her short sleeves
The widow of Kurt Cobain had an embellished silver cross dover her midriff, and additional layers of silver fabric emerged from it
The dress included a wide, somewhat rumpled skirt that reached to the ground
Courtney stayed on theme with several slim silver and diamond necklaces, as well as opulent dangling diamond earrings
Later in the evening, Courtney took up station near one of the galleries with a makeshift DJ booth where she kept the tunes going for other guests
The guitarist styled her blond hair with long bangs and wore it braided in the back; seen with Bella Freud
It was a hometown gig for the influential rocker, as she has been living in London for several years, even though she rose to prominence in the US; pictured with André Balazs and Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark
As she was about to leave the stage, Courtney shouted out, ‘Later — I’ll be back in Hole,’ according to a fan-shot video.
Courtney co-founded Hole in 1989 with guitarist Eric Erlandson, and the band released the acclaimed albums Pretty On The Inside (1991), Live Through This (1994) and Celebrity Skin (1998) before disbanding in 2002.
In 2010, she brought back a new lineup of Hole without Erlandson to release the album Nobody’s daughter. That version of the band folded in 2012.
Although Courtney has hinted at reunions in the past and has shared her desire to work again with the original quartet of Erland, drummer Patty Schemel and bassist Melissa Auf der Mauoften, she has more recently shut down the idea, though she may be changing her tune now.
