Iggy Pop has played ‘Punkrocker’, the track that features prominently in Superman, for the time ever – watch below.
The track was, until recently, a relatively obscure entry in the Stooges frontman’s back catalogue, having been recorded alongside Teddybears for their 2006 album ‘Soft Machine’.
However, it has seen a huge surge in interest since being included in the closing scene of James Gunn’s new big screen reboot of the DC Comics superhero, and at a show in Portland on Saturday night (July 26), Pop gave it its first outing on stage.
The singer was playing at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park as part of the Project Pabst Festival and he chose to close his show with the song – watch fan-captured footage here:
The song has resonance in the film as it follows on from a conversation between David Corenswet’s Superman and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane in which the superhero asserts that kindness is “the real punk rock”.
Speaking recently to The Hollywood Reporter, Iggy Pop shared his joy at seeing the track featured in the movie. “I always thought the track had soul,” he said. “Superman is the best friend you could have.”
In a three-star review of Superman, NME wrote: “To give Gunn his due, he crafts a world that’s as close to the DC Comics Superman that we’ve ever seen, with characters like the shapeshifting Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) adding real texture. It’s a promising start-point to his plans for the DC Universe.”
“And while the good-versus-evil plot does little to push the envelope, the idea of Superman being an alien peacekeeper is surely going to stir up political controversies back in Gunn’s MAGA-homeland. Mainly, though, just give us more Krypto – this canine really is super.”
As for Iggy Pop, the punk veteran made a raucous appearance at Mad Cool festival earlier this month, and broke out a set that NME described as “a barnstormer”.
“After getting off to a rocky start due to heat-related issues with the sound and lighting, the punk icon went on to prove why he has been one of the biggest names in the genre for nearly 50 years,” our description of his set read. Check out more highlights from that day here.