Their sound has been compared to artists as diverse as Jeff Buckley, The Birthday Party, The Smiths, and Joy Division. Their live shows have become famed for their emotional intensity and Finn's often scarily possessed stage presence and his unique singing voice.
They released their debut album, The Runaway Found, in Spain late in 2003. The first single from the album, Lavinia, was released through Rough Trade on November 24, 2003. They released the album globally in January 2004 with a different track listing. It went gold worldwide the following year.
The original lineup of The Veils (which included Oli Drake, Ben Woollacott and Adam Kinsella) disbanded in late 2004, and Andrews returned to New Zealand in order to find a new lineup. He spent the New Zealand summer rehearsing with high school classmates Liam Gerrard (keyboards) and Sophia Burn (bass), and the trio returned to London early 2005. There they got connected to Dan Raishbrook (Guitar) and Henning Dietz (drums). However Liam Gerrard left the band half way into their American tour in 2007.
The group recorded their second album Nux Vomica at Underbelly Studios in Los Angeles, with producer Nick Launay, and the album was released September 18, 2006. The album features string arrangements by ex-Lounge Lizard and long time Lou Reed collaborator Jane Scarpontoni. Nux Vomica featured on 9 critics' Best Of The Year lists in 2006.
In the 16 months following the release of Nux Vomica The Veils played over 250 shows across 15 countries and during the U.S. leg of the tour it was announced that keyboardist Liam Gerrard would leave the band to return home to New Zealand due to personal reasons. The Veils carried on as a four piece and, whilst living out of a classic car garage in Oklahoma City, started recording new demos between playing shows on the east and west coasts of the America. By mid-2008 they were back to London to begin work on their third album with producer Graham Sutton. The recording sessions at West Point Studios lasted only three weeks and at the end of the summer the album was done and ready to be mixed. In March 2009 they began touring the new songs in Europe and America with new drummer Raife Burchell (of Jetplane Landing), after Henning Dietz' defection. Sun Gangs was released on April 6 2009 and was featured in many websites top albums of 2009.
The band spent the summer of 2010 working on new material. On December 6 it was announced that a new 7 song EP entitled Troubles of the Brain is set to be released on January 24, and that the band had left Rough Trade after almost 9 years and started their own label, Pitch Beast Records. The EP is produced by Finn Andrews and Bernard Butler and was recorded at Finn's home studio in London.
In mid 2012 The Veils threatened legal action on UK hardcore band Veils due to the similarity in name. This forced Veils to alter the spelling of their name to Vales.
The Veils released their next album in april 2013 titled , ‘Time Stays, We Go’ in April 2013. Three years later Total Depravity (2016) saw the daylight.
In 2016 David Lynch revealed that Finn would appear in the new series of Twin Peaks due to air early 2017.
In 2023 The Veils released ...And Out of the Void Came Love after a long struggle with songwriting that only came together after the birth of Andrews' first child. The COVID pandemic had seen the departure of longtime members Dietz and Burn (who had been the longest continuous presence in the band after Andrews) and the arrival of Tiny Ruins bassist Cass Basil.
Scarecrow
The Veils Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The night in his eyes
And the road by his side
He's trying to show me
Who's alive in both cities
Barely on fire
Caught in my mind
Scarecrow not made for these times
Clear as a diamond
The light read plain
On the back of his eyes
He'd never know
He still dreams of a bird
Of a terrifying size
But this scarecrow
Caught in my mind
Scarecrow
Not made for these times
Trying to weigh him down
To soon
Glad to have him with me now
Death cold pecked bare
Red collar bled white
No black heart there
No bark and no bite
Just this scarecrow
Caught in my mind
Scarecrow
Not made for these time
The Veils' song "Scarecrow" is a poetic exploration of the human condition through the imagery of a scarecrow. The opening lines set the scene, describing a scarecrow on a cold, dark night in an old field, with a road nearby. The scarecrow serves as a symbol of the fragile line between life and death, and the duality of existence that is present in both the natural and urban worlds.
The song's chorus repeats the line "Scarecrow caught in my mind," emphasizing the scarecrow's haunting quality that lingers in the singer's thoughts. The image of the scarecrow as a figure caught between two worlds continues as the lyrics describe his dreams of a bird of "terrifying size," an otherworldly creature that exists beyond the boundaries of the human realm. The scarecrow's steadfastness and endurance are highlighted in the lyric "trying to weigh him down, too soon," which suggest that although he may be frail, he is also resilient.
Overall, "Scarecrow" paints a picture of the human experience as one that is fragile, fleeting, and full of contradictions. The scarecrow serves as a potent symbol and reminder that life is both beautiful and terrifying, and that our existence is defined by the delicate balance we must strike between these extremes.
Line by Line Meaning
Hung by the old field
The scarecrow is hanging in the old field.
The night in his eyes
The scarecrow's eyes look dark like the night time.
And the road by his side
The road is next to the field and the scarecrow.
He's trying to show me
The scarecrow is attempting to communicate something to the artist.
Who's alive in both cities
The scarecrow is perhaps trying to convey that there are those who are alive in both the city and the countryside.
Barely on fire
The scarecrow is not actually on fire, but rather has a smoldering appearance.
Scarecrow
Title of the song: Scarecrow.
Caught in my mind
The artist cannot get the image of the scarecrow out of their head.
Scarecrow not made for these times
The scarecrow does not seem to fit in with modern times or society.
Clear as a diamond
The light reflecting off of the scarecrow's eyes is bright and clear.
The light read plain
The singer can easily interpret the expression in the scarecrow's eyes.
On the back of his eyes
The light reflects off the back of his eyes, making the expression clear.
He'd never know
The scarecrow is not aware of something.
He still dreams of a bird
The scarecrow has a recurring dream about a specific bird.
Of a terrifying size
The bird in the scarecrow's dream is extremely frightening in size.
Trying to weigh him down
There is an attempt by someone to keep the scarecrow grounded or restrained.
To soon
The attempt to hold the scarecrow down did not last long.
Glad to have him with me now
The singer is happy to be in the presence of the scarecrow.
Death cold pecked bare
The scarecrow is in a state of disrepair and looks like it has been attacked by birds.
Red collar bled white
The scarecrow's collar (or perhaps a scarf) is stained with red blood.
No black heart there
The scarecrow does not have a mean or evil heart.
No bark and no bite
The scarecrow is powerless and cannot defend itself from anything or anyone.
Just this scarecrow
This line emphasizes that the song is solely about the scarecrow.
Caught in my mind
The artist is still thinking about the scarecrow.
Scarecrow
Title of the song: Scarecrow.
Not made for these times
The scarecrow does not seem to belong in the modern world.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: FINN ANDREWS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
traintosyberia
WOW. What a voice and what a song. I love The Veils....great band. Finn is awesome here.
soundsonite
Amazing voice & Great Tune Can't wait to listen to the album!
Tessa F
I wish i could go back to January 15th and listen to them live at the big day out over and over again.
angedevie1
Amazing! subliminal like always!
Cookmepancakes
heard it for the first time, started crying in the first 40 seconds.
LolaH
Listen to these lyrics. Wonderful!
Paulien Hijman
one word: LOVE
GARELJUAN
whoooaaaa amazing and great voice
desole47
Finn Andrews, you are so beautiful, in every possible meaning; I love you.
Tanya Becheva
@000colourful000 me too.. it was wonderful, his emotion on stage kills me!