King Youngblood Premiere Their “Black Hole Sun” Live Video

Rock n’ roll just had a very eventful week, and King Youngblood is here to help celebrate it. The great Seattle grunge legends Soundgarden finally received their long-deserved induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this past weekend, in Cleveland, Ohio. It took longer than it should have, but the band is finally getting its due.

Growing up on their music and considering its immense influence on them, Seattle’s King Youngblood wanted to show their respect, so they covered perhaps the biggest Soundgarden song of all, “Black Hole Sun.” Today, we are helping to premiere the song’s official music video. The clip was recorded at the Central Saloon, the legendary bar and venue in Seattle. It was recorded on July 18th, 2025, two days before what would have been Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell’s 61st birthday. Soundgarden, Nirvana, and so many other grunge era bands performed at the Saloon. It’s a venue familiar to King Youngblood as well. With its long cultural significance and history, there was no better venue than this for King Youngblood to record this cover.

Discussing what grunge means to him, lead singer Cameron Lavi-Jones states:

“The grunge icons of Seattle aren’t heroes to me because of their popularity, but because of the philosophies they put into action during the grunge era. Grunge created a community that was a mirror to the folks who felt unseen and a community full of artists who had each other’s backs. Especially as a Black-fronted band in a predominantly white scene, the values of grunge have been the heart of everything we represent and in everything we try to do as a band. I was born in 1998, technically a year after Soundgarden broke up, but I grew up intensely listening to their albums, and keeping it 100, I think they changed my music trajectory.

“But what made me a child of Seattle’s sound was a lot more than just growing up here and listening to the music, don’t get me wrong, that’s a massive part, but what really inspired me was seeing how intertwined the music community of Seattle’s grunge scene really was- all of them really cared about each other. Chris Cornell helped Eddie Vedder find his footing before Temple of the Dog even existed. Layne Staley showed up for friends on and off stage. Kurt Cobain championed bands like Nirvana’s peers in Mudhoney and Bikini Kill, making sure they were seen, let alone being grunge godmother Tina Bell’s roadie. That mutual respect kept the scene real and human.”

Why they decided to cover “Black Hole Sun,” Lavi-Jones adds:

“When we chose to do our rendition of ‘Black Hole Sun,’ it was because that song, and the scene from which it emerged, meant more to us than just heavy riffs and volume; they were about catharsis, connection, compassion, and community. And having the chance to celebrate that legacy at The Central, the historic stomping grounds for the grunge philosophy to take root, was an important intentional choice. The Central Saloon was the home where that community found each other, experienced the kind of connections that made for some of the most important bands in rock history, let alone brought together good folks that shared a joy for what grunge stood for.

“I’ve known Mike (Michael Gill) for a very long time; he was one of the first people to really believe in King Youngblood, and gave us our first chances at playing in Seattle for keeps. I’ve been so grateful that he’s been so passionate about his role as a preserver not just of the venue, but of what the venue historically has always been home to. He really gets it and shows it too. The fire I see in his eyes, talking about bands that have played The Central in the past, burns just as brightly when he talks about bands he’s hyped to host next week, including a lot of folks we’ve been honoured to be in the community with, too. Feels really full circle in a lot of ways, you know?”

On the importance of the song and Soundgarden, Lavi-Jones notes:

“Our rendition of this song pays homage to the legacy that Soundgarden and the grunge era left for us to continue. It’s rare for us to do something like this, but their positive impact on Seattle’s musical history in turn has become the values we were taught to carry forward with us: bonding over what gives us purpose and passion, not shying away from keeping it vulnerable and real, and most importantly, looking out for each other. I am so glad to see them really receive their flowers in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. As a part of the next generation coming up after them, it’s a testament that the grunge philosophy we’re following leads to a path of positive impact left behind.”

King Youngblood’s version is nimble and easy to like. It stays true to the spirit of the original. But it’s not reliant on the drop-D tuning and power chords of the original. Lavi-Jones also moves fairly freely with the lyrics. Rather than try to sound like Chris Cornell, he sings it very much within his own range and space as a vocalist.

It is reassuring to have bands like King Youngblood that are committed to keeping the spirit of rock n’ roll alive. As the end of the music video emphasizes, as long as there are young people picking up guitars and riffing away at them in garages, rock n’ roll will never die.