Grohl: 'We had equal impact on Nirvana'

Dave Grohl has insisted that he had as much of an influence on the sound of Nirvana as its late frontman Kurt Cobain.

The Foo Fighters singer has for years been described as a sidekick to Cobain, who was found dead at his Seattle home in 1994.

Grohl has dismissed suggestions that he and bassist Krist Novoselic played a lesser part in Nirvana, insisting to the Daily Mirror: "I was actually Nirvana's fifth drummer and if you listen to the recordings with the previous guys you will notice it sounds different. Krist Novoselic and I have been called sidemen to Kurt for f**king years - that lawsuit is done with, y'know?

"We've been called hired guns and I just laugh. Anyone who has ever been in a band, hell... anyone who has ever even listened to a band, understands what happens when one of those elements is removed from the combination. It just falls apart."