The Veils

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The Veils
Origin Flag of England London, England
Flag of New Zealand Auckland, New Zealand
Genre(s) Indie, Alternative, Art Rock
Years active 2002 - present
Label(s) Rough Trade
Website Official Website
Myspace Site
Members
Finn Andrews
Sophia Burn
Dan Raishbrook
Henning Dietz
Former members
Liam Gerrard
Oli Drake
Ben Woollacott
Adam Kinsella

The Veils are a New Zealand band based in London, fronted by lead singer/songwriter Finn Andrews.

Contents

[edit] History

Andrews, who was born in London, started playing music in a folk club in Devonport, New Zealand. Finn played in a 12-piece band there for three years, where he first started composing his own music.

When Finn reached 16, he left school and moved to London to form a band and find a record label to record his compositions under. Within a month Geoff Travis of Rough Trade Records had signed him to Blanco Y Negro and they began recording their debut album, The Runaway Found, in 2001.

A court battle ensued due to a dispute between Warner Brothers & Blanco, which ended in 2003, after which The Veils were allowed to keep their recordings. Geoff Travis signed them to Rough Trade, under which they finished recording their album.

The original lineup of The Veils — consisting of Andrews, Adam Kinsella, Oliver Drake and Ben Woollacott — disbanded in late 2004 following a string of inter-band altercations related to the future sound of the band. After this Andrews returned to New Zealand in order to find a new lineup and the write a new record. He spent the summer rehearsing with high school classmates Liam Gerrard (keyboards) and Sophia Burn (bass). The trio returned to London in early 2005 where they were joined by Dan Raishbrook (guitar) and Henning Dietz (drums).

The group recorded their second album Nux Vomica at Underbelly Studios in Los Angeles, with producer Nick Launay, and the album was released September 18, 2006. The album features string arrangements by ex-Lounge Lizard and long time Lou Reed collaborator Jane Scarpontoni. Nux Vomica featured on 9 critics' Best Of The Year lists in 2006.

Their third album is announced as written and soon to be recorded.[1]

[edit] Trivia

  • Finn's father Barry Andrews has collaborated with numerous musicians in his career, but began as keyboard player for eccentric New Wave pioneers XTC. He guested on Iggy Pop's record Soldier with David Bowie and has collaborated with Brian Eno on various projects including his latest studio album. He toured with Robert Fripp & The League of Gentlemen during the early 1980's and continues to release albums with his band Shriekback.
  • There are many speculations as to where The Veils got their name, however the most popular theory is that it was lifted from the Sylvia Plath poem 'A Birthday Present' which repeats the word 'Veils' throughout and is also the name of a song on their second album Nux Vomica.
  • One of Finn's snakeskin boots (thrown into the crowd at a gig in Berlin) fetched over $900 on eBay.[citation needed]
  • Finn has Res Ipsa Loquitur tattooed on his right shoulder, a Latin phrase which translates as 'The Thing Speaks Only For Itself'. This phrase also appears on the spine of the record Nux Vomica.
  • The Veils' "Vicious Traditions" is used to create atmospheric affect in the latest Kevin Costner film "Mr Brooks"

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Date Title Label Charted Country Catalog Number
Albums
16 February, 2004 The Runaway Found Rough Trade #36 UK RTRADCD135
18 September, 2006 Nux Vomica Rough Trade #29 UK RTRADCD235

[edit] Singles

Year Title Chart Positions Album
UK Singles Chart UK Download
2002 "Death & Co." - - -
2002 "More Heat Than Light" - - The Runaway Found
2003 "The Leavers Dance" - - The Runaway Found
2003 "Guiding Light" - - The Runaway Found
2003 "Lavinia" - - The Runaway Found
2004 "The Wild Son" #36 - The Runaway Found
2004 "The Tide That Left and Never Came Back" #28 - The Runaway Found
2006 "Advice for Young Mothers to Be" #31 - Nux Vomica

[edit] References

  1. ^ Veils announce album 3. Myspace/TheVeils/Blog (2008-05-20). Retrieved on 2008-05-28.

[edit] External links