These high schoolers weren't even born in the 90s, but they're bringing back the hits

Michelle Both · CBC News

· Posted: May 08, 2025 5:01 PM EDT | Last Updated: 30 minutes ago

The '90s are backmost astatine a London precocious schoolhouse this week arsenic a radical of students is taking the signifier to execute grunge, stone and popular hits from the iconic decade. 

'Smells Like the 90s' is simply a philharmonic tribute by the Musical Theatre students astatine Clarke Road Secondary School. The amusement features hits from bands like Metallica, Spice Girls, TLC, and, of course, Nirvana. It runs from Thursday to Saturday.

"It's comic cause walking around, you spot a batch of radical successful cargo pants," said euphony teacher Kevin Kennedy. "A lot of the trends of the 90s are coming back — and if you speech to people, they're listening to the '90s still."

The amusement helps to deepen the respect for the '90s among students, helium said, and to larn astir the decennary of euphony and changes that took place. For immoderate students, it's expanding their playlist, helium said. 

Drums, guitar, saxophones and flutes

It's large quality for pupil Brooklyn Taitt, who stayed an extra year astatine Clarke Road conscionable to execute successful the show. 

"I've been successful the euphony programme for 5 years, and I was truly funny successful the '90s music. I wanted to play successful a stone band, and it was conscionable truthful absorbing having each the upwind instruments and everything successful these large songs," she told CBC's Afternoon Drive. 

"It was conscionable absorbing bringing songs backmost and having the nostalgia of everything," she said. "Even though I wasn't determination successful the '90s, it conscionable feels similar truthful overmuch vigor from everybody."

Taitt is already a '90s instrumentality and knew "every opus successful the full acceptable list," she said, and was excited to spot the amusement travel unneurotic aft students person been moving truthful hard since September. 

"It's conscionable truthful bully to spot it beryllium a last merchandise with each of our vigor and each of our emotion for each different and just being capable to person amusive with it."

Grade 11 student Koda Greene-Cavanagh, who likes the grunge vibe of the decade, first got introduced to '90s euphony from her dad, but present listens to it "all the time," she said. 

She plays flute, which is featured successful her favourite opus of the night, Guns N' Roses' November Rain. 

"It's truly flute heavy, you tin perceive maine truly well. It truly pops out," she said. "I'm besides excited for the 2 radical to spot the acceptable due to the fact that the acceptable is truly cool, and each the lights."

Dress, sing and creation similar it's the '90s

Those who marque it retired to the amusement are encouraged to formal similar the '90s, said Kennedy, on with singing and dancing to the music. 

LISTEN: The communicative down 'Smells Like The 90s' 

"It's a batch arsenic overmuch amusive for the assemblage arsenic it is for the band, which is the constituent of the evening," helium said. 

The amusement was primitively expected to instrumentality spot successful 2020, but was cancelled owed to the pandemic. This year, it was clip to cheque the container and bash the show, said Kennedy. Some archetypal radical from the set are inactive helping with this show.

The radical is taking the amusement connected the roadworthy to execute astatine an arts schoolhouse successful Cleveland and instrumentality a travel to the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. 

'Smells Like the '90s' is connected astatine Clarke Road Secondary School at 300 Clarke Road successful London from May 8 to 10 astatine 7 p.m.  Tickets are $20.