It was chilly, autumn night in a small venue where Finn Andrews and his band, The Veils, brought their new album, Total Depravity, to life. The venue fit their music perfectly. A 1920’s theater turned music venue, The Bowery Ballroom contains grand bar areas and beautiful architecture all around. The venue already creates an intimate atmosphere, with around a 500-person capacity. Visually, the show was pretty simple; a few lights with a blank backdrop. Maybe that was the best setting for their recent, darker record.
Total Depravity was welcomed with high praise from the crowd, with a little more praise for the older songs. Some people may have attended based on the band’s previous hits, but the new music was front and center and showed us a different side of the band. Here’s a quote from front man, Finn Andrews, that perfectly sums up a Veils show.
“They really, truly frightened me” is I think the best review we’ve ever had. I think people come to our shows perhaps expecting some kind of traditional indie fare, and then we rip their fucking heads off and it’s a really great feeling." –Finn Andrews (source)I used to be one those people. My introduction to The Veils was through their video for “The Tide That Left and Never Came Back,” which is full of fun, and more upbeat notes and leads you to believe all of their music falls under that realm. Cut to today, and you’ve got a completely, more holistic band. I’ve seen The Veils before and I’ve experienced how powerful their music is. My opinion is that a great deal of that power is harnessed by Finn himself, with his unique voice and storytelling. It’s been a pleasure to see The Veils grow into the band they are today and experiencing their show live is always a refreshing and enjoyable time.
The Runaway Found. I sort of loved that approach. The show wasn’t about The Veils through the years; it was about the themes on their current record and they chose to let those songs take center stage. If you’re up for a different kind of show with a lot of power and soul, I highly recommend catching them on any of their upcoming dates.
