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Concert Review: The Veils

Finn Andrews and his band The Veils have been working their way round Aotearoa and played their second date at Auckland’s The Studio on Sunday. They have been touring off the back of their latest album Time Stays, We Go which was recorded in Los Angeles at Seedy Underbelly Studios. The studio name implies something dark and dirty and this seeps through into their glorious on stage performance which was moody, raw and melodic.

With a five piece band plus a sax and trumpet backing they opened with Train With No Name, in which Andrews has melded the line “gather ye rosebuds while ye may” from 17th century English poet Robert Herrick into a soaring track. Then followed the awesome Calliope from the LP Nux Vomica - which I always associate with Outrageous Fortune (from the final of Season 3).

Their latest offering has been lauded for showing Andrews’ growth as a song writer and gave this show the bulk of the material including Turn From The Rain, The Pearl, Out From The Valley & Into The Stars and Dancing With The Tornado. This was punctuated by older numbers like Not Yet and Nux Vomica, and my all-time favourite Veils song Sit Down By The Fire. Watching them perform I was struck by the coherence of the band and how individuals don’t really stand out, save for the emotion and live vocal effects from Andrews’ vibrato and a quick turn at the drums during the first number. This isn’t to say they aren’t an entertaining band. They far exceed live what they put down in the studio, but it’s in a nicely reserved style and the good grace of Finn Andrews trademark black hat.

Andrews took the stage by himself to give a few moments of glorious calm during Sungangs and Lavinia. The full complement returned for one final ferocious number – Jesus For The Jugular, which was rough and heavy and loud, but a beautifully savage way to end an enthralling night. So hard was this finale that Andrews was left apologising to the assembled crowd afterwards for trying not to spill his own blood on to their newly bought vinyl and CDs as he signed them after the show.

Buy The Veils ‘Time Stays, We Go’ from iTunes, or hear them on Radio BurgerFuel.