The people brave enough to venture out to The Haunt on a cold, drizzly Sunday night were rewarded with warmth, beer (that wasn’t warm) and rock’n’roll! There were decibels (lots of), barre chords (lots and lots of), expletives (not quite as many as there were barre chords) and 22 – yes, 22 – highly crafted songs!
 
The Vaselines were formed by Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee nearly 30 years ago, who wrote a great set of songs, some of which Nirvana would go on to cover, but releasing only one album before parting ways in 1989. Both went on to form new bands and work with various other artists, before re-joining in the late Noughties. They released Sex with an X in 2010 and V is for Vaselines this year.
 
It comes as no huge surprise that they would kick off proceedings with High tide low tide, the opening track off the new album. A great way to start – with the help of three able backing musicians adding energy and depth, they create a big, bold sound, rumbling along at a fair lick. This momentum is then carried over into the next track, replete with rude guitar solo and a similar rollicking rock’n’roll sensibility.
 
Frances McKee then addresses the audience with bundles of charm, a sharp wit, and what turns out to be a recurring theme for the evening – her almost relentless piss-taking of Eugene Kelly. Over the course of the gig, it becomes very clear that The Vaselines have been here before – they look so relaxed in exchanging verbal blows. It’s all so good humoured and natural that it seems like the stage is simply their natural habitat. Onlookers are granted an almost intimate window into the history that clearly flows between the two.
 
But the apparent comfort onstage is not the only giveaway as to The Vaselines’ obvious live music knowhow. The gig is expertly paced, with Devil inside me particularly standing out as a great change of dynamic and tempo with its moody, rolling riff.
 
Song choice also seems to be pleasingly well judged – there’s as much to enjoy for diehard fans as for people who perhaps have only just discovered the band, and are therefore more familiar with the newer albums. Molly’s lips must get a special mention for the guest air horn performance from supporting band Asylum’s singer, and I think finishing the set with Son of a gun is appreciated by the audience as a great note to bow out on.
 
Moreover, for all the crescendos of up-tempo rock-alongs, songs are also punctuated with the wonderful banter already mentioned – presumably to allow the audience (as much as the backing band) to get their breath back. It all works fantastically well and before we know it, it is 10pm (curfew time) and The Vaselines have rattled off 22 magic songs.
 
For me, all of the charm of the band on record is complemented by the way they play live – Kelly and McKee are a great double act – funny, down to earth and natural. When it’s time to play, they let the songs do the talking and people love them for it. I don’t think they are likely to change, but I don’t think anyone would want them to.