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.

All pictures



Official Website | SoundCloud | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook Spotify

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


Read more!

Amsterdam Woods Festival 2015 Sunday

After a successful first day we head back into the woods while the sun is up and warm. Another nice day awaits at the Amsterdam Woods Festival so we hop back on our bikes and before we know it are back at the festival site.

Amsterdam Woods Festival Sunday August 30 2015

It is still pretty quiet when we arrive so we drink a nice espresso from an espresso machine that is a small steam engine which tastes great. Then we head into the tent for the first performance of the day.



Intergalactic Lovers
It's been a few years since I got to know Belgian band Intergalactic Lovers and they have come a long way since. Their second album Little Heavy Burdens was released last year and is full of nice melodic pop songs. Singer Lara Chedraoui is a delight to watch, she's cracking small jokes with the crowd and her band members who manage to keep a serious face. It sounds like her voice got even better over the years and the band got more tight. The tent hasn't really filled up much but it doesn't get the group down. In their own country they are already drawing much bigger crowds and let's hope more people will get to know them over here. Chedraoui definitely wins best choreography with her killer moves.

Official Website | SoundCloud | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify



Jacco Gardner
After releasing his first album Jacco Gardner toured around the world a lot. Now his second album Hypnophobia is out and with a partly new band is on tour again. The new album focuses on an obscure sixties movie soundtrack sound. The dreamy melodies are still there but now they have gained more body. You can also hear this in his live set that is now more convincing as is his own stage performance. His music sounds more balanced with more heavy grooves in some of the songs. You still need to be in this kind of music though and appreciate the dreamy atmosphere of the songs.

Official Website | SoundCloud | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify



Afterpartees
About now it's time to stir things up a bit and one of the most fun bands of our country, Afterpartees, are exactly the right band to do that. When they start only a handful of people have gathered in front of the stage, but it doesn't matter to the young lads who never disappoint. They fire off their catchy garage rock songs at high speed and singer Niek Nellen as always is one big ball of energy. When he finds the crowd's reaction a bit too mellow he jumps off the stage to make them dance which a few people can't resist. In the end this band seem to be able to please every crowd and once again step off the stage as winners.

Official Website | SoundCloud | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify



The Brahms
We turn to the tiny stage where The Brahms have started their set with catchy danceable rock tunes in the style of Vampire Weekend. The same playful ringing African style guitar melodies can be heard and the band is looking pretty convincing. With their energy, enthusiasm and cheerful music it is hard to stand still and it turns the place into a happy party. This band definitely has plenty going on to get bigger.

Official Website | SoundCloud | Twitter | Facebook Spotify



The Veils
By now the sun has set and it's already time for the last performance of the festival. The Veils are the ones to close the day and are the right band to do so. I don't always like their kind of dramatic 16 Horesepower style of songs but tonight they are more on the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds side of things with a darker sound. Singer Finn Andrews also stays on the right side of his dramatic performance and looks impressive enough when he sings his lyrics with a tormented face. It makes you curious for their new record that should come out next year. It definitely was a worthy finale of this new festival.

Official Website | SoundCloud | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook Spotify

With this line-up, atmosphere and the nice performances, the Amsterdam Woods festival proves to be a worthy addition to the over saturated festival market. It wasn't really crowded but fortunately they had the weather on their side, since otherwise it could have been a disappointing turn up. However the main stage tent never was more than half full and sometimes it was pretty quiet at the other stages, which can be hard on the bands. But hopefully more people will learn about this festival and next year's edition can draw a bigger crowd. This festival deserves it and is more than worth a visit, so count me in again for 2016's edition.

More Pictures

Amsterdam Woods Festival 2015 Saturday

Read more!