Galvanized by the same artistic spirit that called artists like The Smiths, Stone Roses, and The Cure to arms in the 80's,
The Veils'' glorious brand of musical poetry first caught our attention with their ever so agonized '06 effort
Nux Vomica. Beautiful, dense, and relentlessly authentic,
Nux Vomica hit us like a stun gun at the time of its' release...so much so, we knew we had to film them.
Filmed at NYC's Bowery Ballroom in the Fall of '07, this classic concert lived up to our soaring expectations. At the center of the performance, singer/guitarist
Finn Andrews quickly assumed the agonized face that his theatrical, unrestrained, and discontent music so rightfully demands. Taking cues from the kind of acts who knew music was no game (see aforementioned), the New Zealander and son of former XTC keyboardist Barry Andrews seems transfixed by something more spiritual as he plays.
While most of the set was pulled from
Nux Vomica, ironically, it was a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "State Trooper" that really personified the barely bottled madness the band threatened , and often did, unleash on the wild room. In other words, The Veils are serious buisness, by all accounts...except of course for Andrews' appearance in star studded, red, white, and blue pants (while telling a story about how "these colors don't run) for the band's encore. -
David Pitz