The Vaselines

The Vaselines are an indie pop band from Glasgow, Scotland, formed in 1986 and active since then. The group begins as a duo of vocalists and guitarists, Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee, before later expanding with James Seenan on bass and Charlie Kelly, Eugene Kelly’s brother, on drums. The band also includes Graeme Smillie.

Early line-up and background

Before The Vaselines, Frances McKee plays in The Pretty Flowers alongside Duglas T. Stewart, Norman Blake and Sean Dickson, who later go on to BMX Bandits, Teenage Fanclub and The Soup Dragons respectively. Eugene Kelly previously plays in The Famous Monsters.

Recording history and recognition

The Vaselines release two singles, “Son of a Gun” and “Dying for It”, before their first album. Their only album at that stage, Dum Dum, appears in 1989 on Rough Trade, after the band originally signs to 53rd and 3rd. When that label closes, the group breaks up in 1990, then reunites later that year to support Nirvana at a show in Edinburgh.

Although The Vaselines are not widely known during their first period, Nirvana help bring them wider attention by covering their songs. “Son of a Gun” and “Molly’s Lips” appear on Nirvana’s Incesticide, while “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam” is reworked as “Jesus Doesn’t Want Me for a Sunbeam” on MTV Unplugged in New York. Kurt Cobain describes Kelly and McKee as among his favourite songwriters.

Later activity

In 1992, Sub Pop releases The Way of the Vaselines: A Complete History, a compilation that gathers the group’s recorded work onto one album. After the break-up, Kelly founds Captain America, later renamed Eugenius, and continues as a solo performer. McKee forms Suckle and releases her first solo album, Sunny Moon, in 2006. The Vaselines reform in 2008 and then appear sporadically at festivals in the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as on tours supporting Belle and Sebastian. They also perform at Belle and Sebastian’s Bowlie Weekender festival and later announce a second album, Sex With An X, on Sub Pop Records.