The Veils
The Veils |
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The Veils are a London based Indie/Alternative rock band fronted by lead singer and songwriter Finn Andrews. They are known for their chaotic and highly cathartic live performances and Finn's often scarily possessed stage presence. Head of Rough Trade Records Geoff Travis has referred to Finn as "A young but maturing real artist in the vein of Nick Cave and David Bowie"[1]. Though still a fairly underground band The Veils now have a growing following in Europe, The States and Canada.
History
Early years, The Runaway Found and split (2001–2004)
Finn Andrews, son of XTC/Shriekback keyboardist Barry Andrews, spent his teens playing in folk bands in Auckland, New Zealand. When he was 16 a set of demos he sent to record companies created a stir and led to invitations to come to London and make a record. The Veils were signed to Blanco Y Negro, an indie/major hybrid imprint led by Rough Trade's boss Geoff Travis but funded by Warner Music. On August 19 2002 the band released a promo only single "Death & Co.", while a proper commercial single release came three months later, on November 18, for "More Heat Than Light" followed by "The Leavers Dance" (February 24 2003), which was distributed exclusively at gigs.. By then increasing contractual disparities and artistic differences between the head of Warner and Geoff Travis delayed plans for a debut album. The Blanco Y Negro label was eventually disbanded and the dispute turned into a court battle with The Veils eventually regaining ownership of their master recordings from Warner Music. By mid-2003 Geoff Travis had signed them to Rough Trade Records. The Veils recorded four more songs with producer Bernard Butler (ex Suede guitarist), and the band finally released its first Rough Trade single, "Guiding Light" (July 28 2003), though the long awaited debut LP was released only as a promo in Spain and the U.K. that November. Single releases of "Lavinia" (November 24 2003) and "The Wild Son" (January 26 2004) led to The Runaway Found finally hitting the shelves on February 16 2004. Rapturously received by the critics the album was a collection of songs recorded over four years with three different producers, and by the time of its release Andrews felt unhappy with the direction the band had taken and, allegedly following altercations between him and other members, The Veils first incarnation split mid-2004[2].
New line-up and Nux Vomica (2005–2006)
Andrews left the UK early 2005 and embarked on a solo tour of America and Japan, eventually returning home to New Zealand where he found a new direction for the band. He spent the summer there rehearsing with high-school friends Liam Gerrard (keyboards) and Sophia Burn (bass) in Liam's bedroom, soon amassing an album's worth of material. When the trio returned to London they were joined by Dan Raishbrook (guitar) and Henning Dietz (drums), who completed the new line-up. They began recording sessions with producer Nick Launay in Los Angeles in early 2006. The resulting album 'Nux Vomica' had a darker, far heavier and more complex sound, augmented by string arrangements by ex Lounge Lizard Jane Scarpantoni, but also a newly found, highly animalistic energy[3]. Two singles were released from the album: "Advice for Young Mothers to Be" (September 4 2006) and "One Night on Earth" (April 15 2007). Nux Vomica featured on 16 English and American critics' best of the year lists in 2006[4].
Sun Gangs (2007–2009)
In the 16 months following the release of Nux Vomica The Veils played over 250 shows across 15 countries and during the U.S. leg of the tour it was announced that keyboardist Liam Gerrard would leave the band to return home to New Zealand due to personal reasons[5]. The Veils carried on as a four piece and, whilst living out of a classic car garage in Oklahoma City, started recording new demos between playing shows on the east and west coasts of the America. By mid-2008 they were back to London to begin work on their third album with producer Graham Sutton. The recording sessions at West Point Studios lasted only three weeks and at the end of the summer the album was done and ready to be mixed. In March 2009 they began touring the new songs in Europe and America with new drummer Raife Burchell, after Henning Dietz' defection. Sun Gangs was released on April 6 2009 and was featured in many websites top albums of 2009. [6]
Troubles of the Brain (2010-2011)
The band have spent the summer of 2010 working on new material produced by Finn Andrews and Bernard Butler, on December 6 it was finally announced that an EP entitled Troubles of the Brain is set to be released on January 24 on Picth Beast, the band own new label.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Released | Label | Format | Chart position |
| The Runaway Found | 16 February 2004 | Rough Trade | CD, LP | #26 UK Albums Chart |
| Nux Vomica | 18 September 2006 | Rough Trade | CD, LP | #19 UK Albums Chart |
| Sun Gangs | 6 April 2009 | Rough Trade | CD, LP | #21 UK Albums Chart |
EPs
| Title | Released | Label | Format |
| "Troubles of the Brain EP" | 24 January 2011 | Pitch Beast | CD, Download |
Singles
| Title | Released | Label | Format | Album |
| "Death & Co." | 19 August 2002 | Blanco Y Negro | CD single | |
| "More Heat Than Light" | 18 November 2002 | Blanco y Negro | CD single | The Runaway Found |
| "The Leavers Dance" | 24 February 2003 | Blanco y Negro | CD single | The Runaway Found |
| "Guiding Light" | 28 July 2003 | Rough Trade | CD single, 7" vinyl | The Runaway Found |
| "Lavinia" | 24 November 2003 | Rough Trade | CD single, 7" vinyl | The Runaway Found |
| "The Wild Son" | 26 January 2004 | Rough Trade | CD single, 7" vinyl | The Runaway Found |
| "The Tide That Left and Never Came Back" | 17 May 2004 | Rough Trade | CD single, 7" vinyl | The Runaway Found |
| "Advice for Young Mothers to Be" | 4 September 2006 | Rough Trade | 7" vinyl, Download | Nux Vomica |
| "One Night on Earth" | 15 April 2007 | Rough Trade | Download | Nux Vomica |
| "The Letter" | 13 April 2009 | Rough Trade | Download | Sun Gangs |
Music videos
| Title | Year | Director |
| "Lavinia" | 2003 | Gavin Boyter |
| "The Tide That Left and Never Came Back" | 2004 | Gina Birch |
| "The Wild Son" | 2004 | Tim Groenendaal |
| "Advice for Young Mothers to Be" | 2006 | Suzanne Schurgers for Minivegas |
| "Calliope!" | 2007 | The Brownlee Brothers |
| "The Letter" | 2009 | Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard |
| "Begin Again" | 2009 | Sean Gratton |
References
- ^ Issue 72 Pavement Magazine, 2006
- ^ "Finn Andrews Interview, Sixeyes Music". Retrieved 2007-04-21.
- ^ "Web Cuts Media, Interview with Finn Andrews". Retrieved 2007-10-10.
- ^ "Junk Media, The Veils Article". Retrieved 2007-10-10.
- ^ "The Veils Sun Gangs Review, Drowned In Sound". Retrieved 2009-11-23.
- ^ "Best Albums of 2009". Retrieved 2009-12-12. [dead link]
External links
