Into Music Review: Eugene Kelly – The Doublet, Glasgow

Act: Eugene Kelly (Support Molly Linen)
Venue: The Doublet, Glasgow
Date:  27 February 2020

The Doublet is a cracking old bar in the West End of Glasgow. Handy for Kelvinbridge Underground, Great Western Road, Kelvingrove Park and Gibson Street, but just nicely out of the way enough to stand on its own.

The bar has long been a favourite of musicians and artists and last night it was home to an intimate show by Eugene Kelly of The Vaselines with support from Molly Linen.

Upstairs at The Doublet holds 50 at a squeeze, so this was a special intimate show. Linen played a beautiful set, her voice is gorgeously pure and her guitar playing is intricate, clever and melodic. Linen released a 10-inch EP via Lost Map at the end of 2019 and I will certainly be checking that out and hoping to see her again in the future.

So yes, Eugene Kelly of The Vaselines, or one-time of Captain America until Marvel Comics threatened to sue him, so he changed the band name to Eugenius ‘which no-one could spell or say.’

People were literally sitting (on the floor) at the feet of a Scottish indie legend last night. The intimate setting was informal and friendly and Eugene dove way back into his catalogue to play songs of love, lust, frustration, bitterness and humour.

The opening Wow! and Bed In from the Captain America days translated easily to an acoustic performance, making me appreciate them all the more.

New songs, School Sports Day and Dogs Best Friend, made me long for a follow up to Eugene’s 2003 album Man Alive, from which he played a number of songs. Eugene’s ability with melodies, riffs and hooks is one that is vastly underrated as far as I am concerned and seeing him perform in such an intimate setting was watching a master at work.

Jesus Don’t Want Me For A Sunbeam is a song that has traveled around the world thanks to Nirvana covering it on their Unplugged album, here we were watching its author perform it in his local pub – a joy.

New song Is She Into Me? was brilliant – hilariously brilliant, I so hope he records it. Eugene ended with classic Vaselines songs Mollys Lips and Son Of A Gun to rapturous applause, this was a really special show from a very special talent.

More please.

Murray Easton
@murrayeaston
Everything Flows Glasgow Blog

Links:
@eugenekelly
@molly_linen
@DoubletBar

Molly Linen – When They Didn’t Care

Eugene Kelly – She Wears My Ring