The Veils started off their European tour in Belgium

Jan 28

BY JITTE DAVIDSON

The Veils, an English/New Zealand-based band, started their European tour in Antwerp, Belgium last Saturday. Opening for The Veils, was the Dutch artist, Leah Rye. Her lovely voice and melancholic, calm songs, left the room fascinated. Before one of her songs, she asked the crowd to pull out their phones and film her next song. She asked them to send the video to her afterwards so she could put all these videos from different angles into a video clip for the song and I absolutely loved that idea. With this, she also kept the crowd engaged and honestly, it’s a smart move to get people to check out your Instagram. Even though you could sometimes hear the nerves in her voice, it was still a great performance, and I’m excited to see what’s next for her!

Then it was time for the band everyone was waiting for, The Veils. This indie/rock band had just released their 7th studio album Asphodels one day before the concert, 24 January 2025, so this felt like an extra special show. The song they opened with ‘Mortal Wound’ was already a first. Even though they had never played this one live before, it immediately set the tone for an amazing show.

Lead singer Finn’s smile after the crowd’s applause was something that would instantly leave you feeling happy. You could see they were actually enjoying the show a lot, and that brought a warm, cosy, and welcoming vibe. What I liked the most about the music was the country rock vibe some songs had; these gave me a summery, nostalgic feeling. They also switched up slower and more up-tempo songs very well, leaving the audience excited and engaged the entire time.

I came to the show with almost no knowledge of The Veils. I had listened to their songs a little and checked out their Instagram, but the vibe I got from them was very different from what I experienced at the show. Seeing them perform gave me a much lighter and happier feeling than the dark- and mysteriousness I expected after seeing the photos on their socials.

Overall it was a great night, I’m glad I got to experience this show and this band is truly a good find.