The Veils

The Veils
The Veils in Dunedin, New Zealand, 2009
Background information
Origin	London, England Auckland, New Zealand
Genres	Indie, alternative rock
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Nettwerk Records Rough Trade Blanco Y Negro Pitch Beast Records
Website	www.theveils.com
Members	Finn Andrews Sophia Burn Dan Raishbrook Henning Dietz Uberto Rapisardi

The Veils are a London-based indie/alternative band fronted by lead singer and songwriter Finn Andrews. Head of Rough Trade Records Geoff Travis has referred to Finn as "a young but maturing real artist in the vein of Nick Cave and David Bowie".

Finn Andrews was born in London but spent his teenage years at high school in Auckland, New Zealand. Largely disinterested in school, Finn was also playing in many bands (one of which met and played regularly in a folk club on Mt Victoria in Devonport, Auckland) and writing the songs that would later comprise The Veils debut album The Runaway Found. When he was 16, a set of demos he sent to record companies created a stir and led to invitations for him to return to London and make a record.

The Veils were signed almost immediately to Blanco y Negro, an indie/major hybrid imprint led by Rough Trade's boss Geoff Travis. On 19 August 2002 the band released a promo only single "Death & Co.", while a proper commercial single release came three months later, on 18 November, for "More Heat Than Light" followed by "The Leavers Dance" (24 February 2003), which was distributed exclusively at gigs.

By then increasing contractual disparities and artistic differences between the head of Warner and Geoff Travis delayed plans for a debut album. The Blanco Y Negro label was eventually disbanded and the dispute turned into a court battle, with The Veils eventually regaining ownership of their master recordings from Warner Music. By mid-2003 Geoff Travis had signed them to Rough Trade Records.

The Veils recorded four more songs with producer Bernard Butler (ex-Suede guitarist), and the band finally released its first Rough Trade single, "Guiding Light" on 28 July 2003. Single releases of "Lavinia" (24 November 2003) and "The Wild Son" (26 January 2004) led to The Runaway Found finally hitting the shelves on 16 February 2004. Though rapturously received by the critics, by the time of its release Andrews felt unhappy with the direction the band had taken and, allegedly following altercations between him and other members, The Veils' first incarnation split mid-2004, just 2 months after their debut album's release.