Incredibly, this June will mark the twentieth anniversary of Avril Lavigne's debut album Let Go. It was the record that officially introduced Avril to the world and immediately crowned her as 21st century rock music's princess elect. Anthems like Sk8er Boi, Complicated and I'm With You added an extra sheen to the pop punk, post-grunge and alternative rock formulas that were dominating the mainstream at the time, propelling Avril to instant stardom and ensuring her legacy would be represented on rock club dance floors forever more.
While many of her fans are still reeling from the recent news that Avril has had to make the difficult decision to postpone her UK and European tour, the positive response to her new album Love Sux means that we'll at least be getting some killer new material at the shows when they do finally take place in 2023.
In the meantime, we've been cheering ourselves up with this fantastically wholesome old video of a teenage, pre-fame Avril busking at a a subway station in New York, accompanied by her bandmates. The footage, originally shown on her 2003 My World DVD, was taken before Let Go blew up around the world, and features two brief renditions of tracks from that record in Sk8er Boi and Mobile. It's oddly satisfying seeing locals go about their day with precisely 0 idea that they're in the presence of a future megastar.
Needless to say, we don't think Avril would get away with sneaking onto a subway and busting out some songs unnoticed now. Watch the footage below:
Avril Lavigne UK dates 2023
May 6: Manchester O2 Apollo
May 7: London O2 Academy Brixton
May 9: London O2 Academy Brixton
May 10: London O2 Academy Brixton
