Resting on his laurels was never an option. From
critical acclaim with hallowed fuzz-poppers The
Vaselines, to being Kurt Cobain's
favourite songwriter as leader of proto-grungers
Captain America, Eugene Kelly has a
track record most pop stars would kill for. So
now, after years spent in indie's wilderness, it's
not surprising that tonight seems less a gig and
more an act of defiance against an indifferent
music scene.
"I
wish we had some happy songs," he mock-sighs at
one point, peering into the tiny crowd, "but we
don't." As if he needed them. Each of Kelly's
country-tinged, camp-fire homilies glow like
long-lost classics, each careworn melody recalling
Neil Young at his most plaintive and
Dylan at his least guarded. Witness 'Long
Time Walking' and 'I'll Be Yours', the
latter a heart-fluttering paean to true love that
casts a knowing shadow over alt-country's smug
output.
And
while Kelly and his band's quieter moments seem
effortless in their simplicity, it's their rawer,
rockier numbers that truly triumph. So maybe
Kelly is tinged by a little cynicism, his
enthusiasm dampened by years of apathy. Is it any
wonder? After all, music this great cries out to
be heard. Long may he strum.