This time around they have with them Schwervon! from New York, a duo of guitar player Matt Roth and drummer Nan Turner. These two belt out indie rock which is again simple but very tight; Turner's drum beats steady Roth's guitar wanderings, and both provide beautiful vocals, harmonising now and again to great effect. The couple seem to be having so much fun on stage that you can't help but enjoy them and their clever pop anti-folk tunes. 'Fuzzy Math', 'Balloon' and 'Swamp Thing' are stand out tracks.
Their lyrics are about every days things like recession, doing the washing but along to strong beats and fuzzy guitars. A lot of the crowd are here to see them, and once again The Vaselines have introduced me to a band I like. I could really do with a mix tape from the band; ATP, let them curate a festival!
The band in question have been hanging around the merch stand before the show and take to the stage on time. This shows how easy going and down to earth they are; always chatting to the crowd during the show and making everyone feel comfortable. That and the millions of sexual innuendos that are part and parcel with a Vaselines show... With songs like 'Sex With And X' and 'Rory Rides Me Raw' and overall their band name you can tell they are having cheeky laughs at disguising a subject that we Brits are quite prudish aboutÂ…
Throughout the show there is a ongoing joke with ex-lovers Frances Mckee and Eugene Kelly about picking up where they left off years and years ago and then spurning each other with witty put downs. The crowd are also on the ball, one guy has a few one liners that amuse even the band. The rest of the band, bassist Bobby Kildea, drummer Michael McGaughrin and excellent guitarist Stevie Jackson just let them get on with it, like (as the pre-mentioned crowd member puts it) an episode of 'Married With Children'.
To the music however, as it seems that the band can go off on a tangent with these conversations but they quickly get back on track. The band start off with many tracks from debut album 'Dum Dum', including 'Monsterpussy', 'The Day I was A Horse' and 'Oliver Twisted'. All beautifully simple but catchy tracks, still holding their own after 22 years. The lastest album 'Sex With An X' fares well too, with the title track, new single 'Mouth To Mouth' (released on Valentines Day no less) and the superb upbeat 'Ruined' all getting an airing (mind you, when you have been a band on and off for 25 years and you only have two albums and two EPs the set list can't be that hard to figure out). Thing is every song is so catchy they are all classics, so why have 5 or 6 albums of crap when you can refine it and have two awesome albums?
Of course the hit's most people know them for (due to Nirvana's MTV Unplugged); 'Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam', 'Molly's Lips' and 'Son Of A Gun' are all there but are accepted by the crowd in the same way as the rest of the old and new tracks, of which I'm glad (although 'Son Of A Gun' does get a cheer from the crowd, though it is a great song).
The shortness of the pop tunes end the gig early, even with an encore of 'You Think You're a Man' (originally by Divine) and ending with the sliding notes of 'Dum Dum'. A Vaselines show is like your dirty minded musical friends playing some lo-fi pop for you creating a warm atmosphere, great stuff. I hope they tour again soon (like they did last time; we only had 6 months to wait since their last visit).
Setlist:
The Day I Was A Horse
Monsterpussy
I Hate The 80's
Oliver Twisted
The Devil Inside
Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam
Such A Fool
Sex With An X
Molly's Lips
Bitch
Son Of A Gun
Poison Pen
Slushy
No Hope
Sex Sux
Rory Rides Me Raw
Ruined
Mouth To Mouth
Dying For It
You Think You're a Man
Dum Dum
article by: Danielle Millea
photos by: Danielle Millea
published: 28/01/2011 10:37
FUTURE GIGS
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