Fans of ’80s U.K. indie pop—sometimes referred to as
the C86 sound—rank
the Vaselines near the top of the list. During the band’s all too brief career they managed to produce only a handful of releases and never made the trip from their native Scotland to the United States. But on Thursday, July 10 the Vaselines hit U.S. shores (specifically, Southpaw in Brooklyn, New York) for the second of three appearances this summer. The night before they played a warm-up show at Hoboken, New Jersey’s intimate Maxwell’s and later on this month they are slated to appear at the Sub Pop 20th anniversary festival in Redmond, Washington.
The duo of Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee are filled out with three members of
Belle & Sebastian on loan for the two U.S. shows. Rumors are already in the air about a full European and American tour but for now fans are just getting a taste of a band long overdue for a reunion.
So why all the fanfare for a group that remained virtually unheard of until after their 1989 breakup? Chances are you’re probably already familiar with “Molly’s Lips,” “Son of a Gun,” and “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam.” All three were
covered by Nirvana during their prime (the first two on
Incesticide and the third
on Unplugged in New York) thus exposing a new set of fans to this obscure Scottish act. In fact Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain would often go on at length in interviews about the bands he loved, paying respect to the unknowns and also-rans from deep in the early SST and Rough Trade catalogs. Bands not fortunate enough to find critical success. Often times they were obscure to most Nirvana fans and Cobain gave the impression that he was fighting the good fight—using his name and fame to give a leg-up to the little guy. It’s not a stretch to say he was integral in bringing not only the Vaselines but also the Meat Puppets, Melvins, and
Daniel Johnston into the mainstream consciousness.
Thursday’s show was a welcome return-to-form that was nearly 20 years in the making.
Here is a video shot from the crowd at Southpaw of the band performing “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam.” It’s grainy and unsteady but should suffice for anyone who missed out last week and won’t be making it to
Washington later this month.
Photos courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan