Twenty years ago, when the Vaselines released their debut album Dum-Dum, they were a charmingly shambolic indie outfit. Well, two decades later the band are finally getting round to releasing a follow up, and boy have things changed. OK, things haven't really changed that much. Not for the band, at least – the cheekily titled Sex With An X (Frances McKee and Eugene Kelly used to be a couple) is as wonderfully scrappy and naive as ever.
But what has changed during the group's absence is the music scene. Just look at the current crop of guitar bands, from the Cribs (who once "campaigned" for a return to real indie) to the Pains of Being Pure At Heart and their C86-reviving peers – they all owe a clear debt to the Vaselines, and you can imagine they'll fall head over heels for Sex With An X. After all, it's a record that dances giddily in response to this back-to-basics indie resurrection, from the title track's ode to illicit pleasures ("It feels so good it must be bad for me/ Let's do it, let's do it again") to their critique of the seemingly endless 80s revival (I Hate the 80s). We hope you enjoy it as much as we do, let us know in the comments box below ...
