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)
