| Eugene Kelly | |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Place: | Calton, Glasgow |
| Birth Date: | 9 August 1965 |
| Origin: | Parkhead, Glasgow, Scotland |
| Instrument: | Guitar, vocals |
| Genre: | Alternative rock, indie pop |
| Years Active: | 1985–present |
| Associated Acts: | The Vaselines Eugenius BMX Bandits The Pastels The Famous Monsters Future Pilot A.K.A. Godstar Astro Chimp The Reindeer Section |
Eugene Kelly (born 9 August 1965)[1] is a Scottish musician who is a member of the group The Vaselines, a founding member of the now disbanded Eugenius and has had a number of solo releases.
Eugene Kelly formed The Vaselines in Glasgow, Scotland in 1986 with Frances McKee and was a member until 1989 when the band disbanded the week their first and only full-length album, Dum-Dum, was released. Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was a big fan of the band, covering three of their songs. Molly's Lips and Son Of A Gun were included on their album, Incesticide. Nirvana also covered The Vaselines song Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam on their album, MTV Unplugged in New York.
In 1990, Kelly formed Captain America but was forced to change the name after Marvel Comics, who owned the trademark of the superhero name, threatened them with legal action.[2] The band then became known as Eugenius. He has had a number of collaborations with Evan Dando of The Lemonheads and in 2003 Eugene released a solo album, Man Alive. In 1990 Kelly was reunited with McKee as the Vaselines to support Nirvana in a one-off gig at Edinburgh.[3]
In 2006, he toured with Isobel Campbell, replacing Mark Lanegan when performing songs from Ballad of the Broken Seas and supporting Mogwai and The Lemonheads in Europe.
In the summer of 2006, Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee took to the stage to perform a set of The Vaselines songs, as part of a joint tour to promote their individual solo albums. This led to The Vaselines reforming (minus the old rhythm section) on 24 April 2008 for a charity show for the Malawi Orphan Support group at Glasgow's MONO venue.
Since 2008, The Vaselines have continued to perform around the world, with members of Belle & Sebastian supporting their live set. On 5 May 2009, Sub Pop released Enter the Vaselines. A deluxe-edition reissue of the 1992 Sub Pop release, it includes remastered versions of the band’s two EPs, album, as well as demos and live recordings from 1986 and 1988.
Kelly features prominently in the 2017 documentary Teenage Superstars, which covers the formation of The Vaselines, their influence on Nirvana and Eugenius.[4]