Last night, the band The Veils played once again at Doornroosje, but this time, they had sold out the venue for the first time. The London-based band released their latest album, Asphodels, last Friday and is blending their old classics with their newest hits on this tour.
Text and photo: Sophie Aerdts
Although the opening act, The Smoke Fairies, didn’t fully succeed in warming up the crowd, the excitement became palpable as the members of The Veils took their places. Frontman Finn Andrews immediately sat behind the piano, and soon, the first notes of Mortal Wounds resonated through the venue. Despite being released only two and a half weeks ago, many in the audience were softly singing along or humming. Though classified as an alternative rock band, much of their music leans toward melancholic tones without becoming grim. The songs from Asphodels are notably calmer than their older work, yet they managed to blend them seamlessly into their performance. It seemed as though the audience grew more enthusiastic after each song, whether it was a gentle piano piece or an intense guitar solo.
This wasn’t the kind of concert where the crowd loudly sang along. Instead, everyone seemed too captivated by the performance to become part of it themselves. Toward the end, more and more people began nodding their heads to the rhythm—an unmistakable sign that they needed to express their enthusiasm in some way, aside from the deafening applause and whistles after each song.
Constant Position Changes
One remarkable aspect of the show was the way some band members were continuously switching instruments. Finn Andrews would be behind the piano for one song and then pick up his guitar for the next, while another band member seamlessly transitioned from violin to keyboard. The combination of violin and piano was stunning, gripping the entire venue with its beauty.
As the show neared its end, Finn Andrews invited the opening act back on stage to sing a song with them. This time, The Smoke Fairies were met with a much warmer reception from the audience. It seemed they, too, had needed time to warm up, as they now exuded far more confidence on stage—something the crowd clearly appreciated. Amidst loud applause and cheers, they quickly disappeared behind the curtains, making way for the final part of the show.
New Album
After just under an hour, The Veils thanked everyone for coming, played their final song, and left the stage. While the crowd was still cheering, clapping, whistling, and shouting, Andrews returned alone to give us one more song—Lavinia. The entire venue fell silent, hanging on to his every word as he performed one of the first songs he ever wrote. The cheers erupted again, prompting him to play not one but two more encores: The Tide That Left and Never Came Back and Axolotl. He wrapped up the night with the exciting news that they have already started writing a new album. They hope to return to Nijmegen soon—something that, judging by the audience’s reaction, would be an excellent idea.
The Veils delivered a beautiful blend of melancholic songs and powerful rock tracks, structuring their performance in a way that made it a perfect combination. For anyone who missed out on tickets this time, I’d highly recommend being quicker next time—this is a show you don’t want to miss again!
