Sonic Youth Appearing On Gossip Girl

Despite all its lies, backstabbing, complicated family matters and gratuitous shots of Ed Westwick's perfect cheekbones, teen soap opera Gossip Girl isn't so bad when it comes to music.

No Doubt made a throwback performance in an '80s-themed episode in May, and now NYC noise rockers Sonic Youth will make an appearance on the fifth episode of GG's upcoming season.

The band won't use the TV spot to promote their latest album, The Eternal. Instead, they'll be doing an acoustic version of "Starpower" from 1986's EVOL. The performance will take place in honour of a "very special event" happening on the show, showrunner Stephanie Savage told Entertainment Weekly.

The Sonic Youth/Gossip Girl pairing is less unlikely than it seems. During the last season of Gossip Girl, Thurston Moore and former Be Your Own Pet singer Jemina Pearl collaborated on a cover of the Ramones' "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker." Savage told Entertainment Weekly she first learned of Sonic Youth's interest in Gossip Girl when she discovered that vocalist/guitarist Thurston Moore used Gossip Girl as a backdrop during solo performances of his Psychic Hearts solo album last year.

"I hope it was a cool, edgy homage!" Savage told Entertainment Weekly. "And it turned out that it was — tongue in cheek for sure, but definitely with love, and that they were fans of the show."

Sonic Youth may have even more in common with New York socialite Blair Waldorf and friends. They're experts on NYC culture. In May, they performed alongside former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones at a Merce Cunningham dance show, and contributed to a Museum Of Modern Art exhibition honouring David Bowie last year.

You can see Moore, Moore's wife and Sonic Youth bassist/guitarist Kim Gordon, guitarist Lee Ranaldo, drummer Steve Shelley and bassist/guitarist Mark Ibold on these dates:

Sept. 25 Pomona, CA @ The Fox Theater
Sept. 26 Santa Barbara, CA @ Arlington Theatre
Sept. 28 San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues
Sept. 29 Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theatre
Oct. 1 Phoenix, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
Oct. 2 Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
Oct. 4 Austin, TX @ Zilker Park (Austin City Limits Music Festival)
Oct. 21 Berlin, Germany @ Columbiahalle
Oct. 22 Brussels, Belgium @ Ancienne Belgique
Oct. 25 Paris, France @ Palais Des Congres
Dec. 4-5 Minehead, England @ Butlin's Holiday Centre (All Tomorrow's Parties)
Dec. 6 Dublin, Ireland @ Vicar Street