The Vaselines
York
Introduction
Brudenell & Please Please You Presents...
Happy 40th Anniversary to The Vaselines!
'Wait a minute, didn't The Vaselines break up years ago?' Yes, The Vaselines did break up in 1989 in the week that their debut album 'Dum Dum' was released.
'So they're getting back together again?' No, the Vaselines reformed in 2008 and went onto release two more albums, 'Sex With an X' on Sub Pop in 2009 and 'V For Vaselines' on their own label Rosary Music in 2014.
'Are they any good?' OK, let me tell you everything!
Band Formation and Early Work
The Vaselines were formed in Glasgow in 1987 by singers/guitarists Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee, soon signing to The Pastels frontman Stephen Pastel's 53rd & 3rd label.
They released two 12 inch singles 'Son of a Gun' and 'Dying For it' and one album 'Dum Dum'.
Nirvana Influence
Nirvana's Kurt Cobain regularly cited the Vaselines in interviews with the music press and Nirvana would go on to cover the Vaselines' ‘Molly's Lips’ and ‘Son of a Gun’ (both later compiled on their Incesticide collection) as well as perform ‘Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam’ on their legendary MTV Unplugged appearance which went on to introduce the band to a new world wide audience.
Though they were not widely known outside the United Kingdom during their short career, their association with Nirvana brought them exposure, with Kurt Cobain describing Kelly and McKee as his 'favourite songwriters in the whole world'.
At the 1991 Reading Festival Eugene joined Nirvana onstage for a performance on The Vaselines song 'Molly's Lip's' and in 1992 Sub Pop Records, released 'The Way of the Vaselines: A Complete History', a compilation that contained The Vaselines entire body of work at the time.
Post-breakup Activities
Although The Vaselines broke up in 1989 both Eugene and Frances continued to write, record and tour. Eugene went on to form Captain America who changed their name to Eugenius when threatened with a lawsuit by Marvel Comics releasing two albums, 'Oomalama' on Fire Record and 'Mary Queen of Scots' on Atlantic Records. Frances resurfaced in The Painkillers then with new band Suckle released the album 'Against Nurture' on Chemical Underground. She released a solo album 'Sunny Moon' in 2006.
Reunion and Recent Work
The Vaselines reunited proper in 2008 for a charity for Malawi Orphan Support and enjoyed the gig in Glasgow's Mono so much they decided to keep going.
They recorded their second full album Sex With An X which was released on the Seattle label Sub Pop in 2010. This was followed by V for Vaselines in 2014.
The Vaselines begin their 40th anniversary year 2027 with a U.K. tour.
