On Stage: The Veils @ Paradiso

I thought I didn't really like The Veils until I saw them play the Amsterdam Woods Festival a few years back. I was worried this music would be too heavy on the dramatic side, however I was proven wrong. I liked the dark music and the Nick Cave kind of vibe of it. Time to see them again.

The Veils at Paradiso Amsterdam, October 2 2017

Since then the band released a new record about a year ago, Total Depravity, and visited our country a few times this year. Last month an acoustic EP was released Swimming with the Crocodiles with acoustic versions of five songs from the Total Depravity album. It is obvious the show is also still part of the tour around the last full album where the set list contains three quarters of that LP. Other songs are scattered in between. The songs still have plenty of dramatic effects and the dark vibe that I can appreciate. Singer Finn Andrews' voice sounds strong and clear where the rest of the band play focused in the background in support of the songs.

Andrews addresses the crowd once and a while but seems a bit puzzled when he does. For the rest he lets the music do the talking which is more effective. In general the songs are revealing themselves patiently, slowly building up to explosive outbursts with Andrews' intense voice. His almost preaching style of singing together with his heart-breaking vocals add to the dramatic and dark music. Together with a tormented look on his face as if he's trying to chase away the demons, the old church Paradiso once was, is the right setting for this band.

Once and a while the band is set against a blood red lit background to make this picture even more striking. After the regular set a piano is rolled onto the stage and Andrews plays a few songs solo. It is a nice intermezzo in this show and a small preview of his solo shows in December. The rest of the band returns to the stage to play two more songs and end this Monday night in style.

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Setlist:
01. Here Come the Dead
02. Axolotl
03. Do Your Bones Glow at Night?
04. Low Lays the Devil
05. Swimming with the Crocodiles
06. Nux Vomica
07. House of Spirits
08. The Pearl
09. A Birthday Present
10. Iodine and Iron
11. A Bit on the Side
12. Total Depravity
13. Not Yet
14. King of Chrome
Encore
15. Begin Again (Finn solo piano)
16. The Valleys of New Orleans (Finn solo piano)
17. New song (Finn solo piano)
18. Guiding Light
19. Jesus for the Jugular