The Veils at Northcote Social Club
21 August in Melbourne, supported by Colbey.
I think at this point I can admit that I like photos of my view when it's blocked by lots of people. In this case, I could have easily found my way through the crowd to a spot up the front with The Veils' superfans. I just didn't.
Just like with The D4, The Veils were a recommendation from a friend who lived in New Zealand for a bit. I hadn't heard of them (The Veils, not my friend) before. In the case of both shows, the kiwi-heavy crowd was super chill and stoked to be there, and the music was great. My suggestion is that whenever your friend who lived in NZ for a while suggests a gig, say yes.
A couple of weeks before seeing The Veils, the Junkyard show on PBS had an hour-long special on the band (this link will disappear in early 2027). This was a great way to get to know their music just a little in advance, and the driving force behind The Veils, Finn Andrews, came across as very humble and unpretentious in an interview.
It was a good thing to get this positive first impression because he is a man who wear a distinctive hat. I believe it is a long-standing affectation. I am sometimes guilty of judging people who overly rely on hats, but in this case I admit to being unfair.
The show itself was fantastic. The Veils care about songwriting and musical arrangements and it really shows. It was the type of earnest, emotional music that grabs you and takes you along for the ride. It was awesome seeing the kiwi superfans in the front row singing every lyric. Just super nice.
The support act, Colbey, was also good, although at one point they sang about someone being their "salty caramel" which was way too close to one of the jokes in The Supposed To Be about a TV show called Bondi Brown with a Sri Lankan woman who falls for a lifeguard.
