The Veils
Always good to see a guitar player using a Fender
Jazzmaster. A good start for me, because guitarist playing them understand the
pro of the string tail on an electric guitar.
To be honest, I didnÕt immediatelly recognize the good
things about The Veils. Not so strange, since my daily habit currently is
listening to Lightning Bolt, PRE and Melt-Banana and when IÕm in a more
poppy mood itÕs Abe VigodaÕs
Reviver, Les Savy Fav and EnonÕs Grass
Geysers...Carbon Clouds. So when a ÔnormalÕ rock act enters my room it takes some time for me
to valuate their music. Before we met I had viewed some YouTube-clips and
thought it was a good festival band with a foxy girl on bass and a good looking
singer. They were on Rough Trade though, which allready raised some questions
in my head, because that label is not known for carrying out easygoing
commercial mainstream bands. Perhaps I should have done some more reasearch
than only watch Advice for Young Mothers to Be and the other most watched clips.
The guitar handing over took place at their Nijmegen gig and
I noticed the band is a steady live act and Andrews has a confincing vocal
capacity, although he mentioned to the audience he had troubles with his voice.
Most of the songs of his latest album and he played that night are down tempo.
At first it occurred to me a bit similar to Coldplay (the solo guitar on The
Letter for instance)
and other Radiohead like bands, but luckily without the typical clipping
vocals. A specific aspect, IÕm not so crazy about, especially not when more
bands are copying it. Andrews is smart enough to avoid the trick. The music and
his dark voice causes many other connections in my opinion, which makes The
Veils more reasonable than other bands within this down tempo rock genre. In
reviews often referred to Jeff Buckley, but IÕd like to mention a few other
links. They remind me in a way of 16 Horsepower, but less nervous, perhaps more
close to Sparklehorse and here and there I hear bit and pieces of Bill Callahan
in the vocals, especially on the fascinating song Begin Again. Nobody can beat Bill, thatÕs for
sure, but itÕs good to know Andrews and I share the fascination for Smog. Not
surprised Sun Gangs got so many good reviews.
After being tipped by Liam Finn, Finn Andrews mailed me he had
the desire to play on a copy of the Moonlander. Unfortunatelly Lee RanaldoÕs instrument is too much work
to replicate easily, but I also had the wish for some time to make a new
somewhat modified and easier to manifacture electric Harp Guitar. So I developed for Finn the Burner Harp Guitar; an extended version of
the Twister Guitar, with an additional upper
body horn a bit resembling like the old Prince guitar, where I could put in the
tuning pegs. The instrument is in looks somewhat similar to the famous Coral Sitar.
As can be imagined easily, Andrews was a bit confused about
the large amount of strings, but I received a friendly mail he had done some
practising and was able to find his way on it.
Allmusic Biography
As the son of keyboardist Barry Andrews (XTC, Shriekback),
the Veils' Finn Andrews knew nothing else except a world full of music and art.
He had plans to become a painter as a young lad; however, a move to his
grandmother's abode in Devonport, New Zealand (near Auckland) with his mother
pointed Andrews in a different direction during his teenage years. He
frequented the local folk scene to escape the ho-hum of country living. Once
consumed with his father's electronic work from the 1980s, Andrews was now
interested in Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, and Tom Waits. In 2001, Andrews
(vocals/guitar), then 18, returned to London. He befriended Ben Woollacott
(drums), Adam Kinsella (bass), and Oliver Drake (guitar), and in a few months
time the Veils were born. By fall, Rough Trade's Geoff Travis signed the
foursome to the Blanco y Negro imprint, and immediately the Veils began working
on their first album. They issued the single "Guiding Light" in 2002; however, contractual
disparities and artistic differences with Blanco y Negro turned into a two-year
battle until Travis signed the Veils to Rough Trade proper in mid-2003.
Luckily, the Veils were able to keep songs recorded during that time. A second
single, the lovelorn "Lavinia," was well received at indie rock radio in the U.K..
Shared dates with the Raveonettes, Beth Orton, and British Sea Power preceded
the spring 2004 release of the Veils' debut, The Runaway Found. The album had only been out two
months when Andrews announced the departure of Woollacott, Kinsella, and Drake.
In late June 2004, Andrews explained via the Veils' website (www.theveils.com)
that a second album was already in the works, but that the original members
would not be involved. Instead, he had returned to New Zealand, where he met up
with former high-school classmates Sophia Burn (bass) and Liam Gerard (piano,
organ), who then went back with him to London to begin Nux Vomica, the Veils' sophomore release, an
album that then came out in the winter of 2006 (and the spring of 2007 in the
U.S.). For the accompanying tour Andrews added drummer Henning Dietz and
guitarist Dan Raishbrook to the band. Sun Gangs arrived in spring 2009.
Discography
The
Runaway Found, Rough
Trade, 2004
Nux
Vomica, Rough Trade,
2006
Sun
Gangs, Rough Trade, 2009
External links
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