Every time we fire up Nux Vomica, there's that bit of wonderment: How is this band not bigger? Clearly, we like the Veils. Tough to garner momentum with such a lag between international and US release dates (the excellent new record was out last year overseas, a few weeks ago in the States), but maybe the boulder's rolling; they're playing three shows in NYC this week (two last night at Merc, one at Union Hall), and have sold out two of 'em (though Merc wasn't near full for the sell-out early set).
As fans know well, lead singer/charmer Finn Andrews rebuilt the band from nil for Nux, and the Veils v2.0 sound amazing on record, but get that good only occasionally live. Bassist Sophia Burn brings some smoldering cool to the stage, but an out-of-tune bass (somebody else needed to tell her) and not always locking with the kick meant, well, sloppy offerings of fantastic tunes. All good, though, 'cause it's all about Finn, anyway; hat on head, a mash of Buckley and Cave, Andrews summoned a strong-sung storm out of the bridge to "Not Yet," brought brimstone to "Jesus For The Jugular," and got some laughs with his shy-guy cool-kid quip about the band's extended vacation in the States this year: "We're staying in Oklahoma, is that OK? I've just heard about tornadoes ... and the Flaming Lips. Sounds cool."
The Veils - "Jesus For The Jugular"
The Veils - "Not Yet" (MP3)
Throw in a Bruce cover and a cool newbie along the lines of the lovely "Calliope!" to complete the set. Worth the ticket, yes, but before we proceed: stop what you're doing, get Nux Vomica, listen to the first five songs, and repeat. Then, take the jump for the night's song list and a few more pics. Oh and XTC fans, trivia: Finn is Barry Andrews's kid.We've always resisted dropping that in, but that's what slow news days do: inhibitions lowered, pranks in the office, rock-star progeny name drops, etc.
SETLIST (via Music Snobbery)
01 "Nux Vomica"
02 "A Birthday Present"
03 "Jesus For The Jugular"
04 "Calliope!"
05 (Untitled New Song)
06 "Advice For Young Mothers To Be"
07 "State Trooper" (Bruce Springsteen cover)
08 "Fearless Flyer"
09 "Under The Folding Branches"
10 "Not Yet"
