The Vaselines begin their 40th anniversary year with a UK tour, stopping at Gorilla this February.
The band’s influence has extended far beyond their original run. In 1991, Eugene Kelly joined Nirvana on stage at Reading Festival for a performance of The Vaselines’ Molly’s Lips, and the following year Sub Pop Records released The Way of the Vaselines: A Complete History, compiling the band’s entire recorded output to date.
Although The Vaselines split in 1989, both Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee continued to write, record and tour. Eugene formed Captain America, later renamed Eugenius, releasing Oomalama on Fire Records and Mary Queen of Scots on Atlantic Records. Frances went on to play with The Painkillers before forming Suckle, who released Against Nurture on Chemical Underground, followed by her solo album Sunny Moon in 2006.
The Vaselines reunited in 2008 for a Malawi Orphan Support charity show at Glasgow’s Mono. The performance led to a full reunion, with the band releasing Sex With An X in 2010 and V for Vaselines in 2014. They now return to the road to mark four decades since the band’s formation.
