Manic Monday

Monday night, I went to Lee's Palace for some classic 90s indie in the form of Scottish duo The Vaselines. Before they came on, Philadelphia girl group Amanda X opened the show. In some ways, this trio had similar aesthetics: punchy pop-punk, a bit of surf-rock in the percussion, and two singers exchanging lyrics. But Amanda X veered toward the noisier end with sludgy guitar and numerous tempo changes.

The fans for the headliners broke down into two groups: fresh-face youngsters and the middle-aged. The latter were in their teens or twenties when they probably heard about Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee via covers done by Nirvana. Yet they were already broken up by then and never capitalized on the exposure. As Kelly pointed out: "We play short songs". So it was amazing that they played more than an hour of it both the "classics" (Molly's Lips, Jesus Was My Sunbeam) and new (I Hate The 80s, High Tide Low Tide). Although it was all punchy pop(-punkish), there were strands from other genres: sometimes rock, sometimes pop, even a bit of Irish folk. The commonality was their dual vocals in harmony or dual melodies and their smart, observant lyrics packed into tight verses. This funny wittiness was also present in their banter which was usually sexual. Kelly and McKee was that older uncle and aunt couple that said risque things (while winking at you) to get a rise out of your parents.