An Angelic Experience With The Veils
Fan obsession with the band has at times been seriously fanatical, with three suicides in Japan allegedly caused by the splitting of the first incarnation of The Veils.–Wikipedia
Sweat and tears pour from his body as Finn Andrews quivers with intense emotion as words tremble from his mouth. The Veils sensational front man performs at such a powerful emotional state that some would say he seems possessed. That intensity enveloped the crowd at Bowery Ballroom on Monday. For the last show of their long American tour (which began at Mercury Lounge), the New Zealand/English quartet put everything that had left into their performance. Finn Andrews, whose father Barry played keyboard for new wave pioneers XTC, remained the central focus throughout the entire set. Andrews mustve been digging deep into his emotional recesses, because he sang with the same fiery soul as Al Green or Jeff Buckley. When you have that sort of power, you can stand alone on stage and come across as a God. And Finn did have an angelic appearance, as his hat combined with the lighting often created the image of a halo over his head. For their short encore, Finn came back out to the stage decked out in ridiculous stars and stripes pants. Along with the pants came a story/joke. Finn spoke of when he purchased the pants in LA, while on tour. I asked the lady at the counter if I can wash these with my whites, the young singer began. She replied, These colors do not run. With that the Bowery Ballroom erupted in laughter, and the band ripped through 2 excellent songs, and Finn Andrews ran into and tore apart the drum kit, leaving the stage in shambles.
A pair of local bands, XYZ Affair and The Picture also played. XYZ Affairs pop rock brought upon similarities to power-pop rockers like Weezer and Ozma (who in turn sounds like Weezer). The Picture, who headlined last years New York Press Rock Off, put on another strong performance, with a bulk of their songs coming off of their new album, Drift Away.
XYZ Affair
The Picture
The Picture
Photos courtesy of [Jonny-Leather]