By Keith Walsh
With their performance of “In A Quiet Room,” captured live on video on KEXP, shoegaze pioneers The Veldt demonstrate that all of the studio trickery making the elegance of shoegaze possible can be done portably. With their bass, drums and two guitars, no doubt there’s a couple of reverb, chorus, and delay units on their pedalboards.
The vocals of Daniel Chavis, also on guitar, are minimalistic and primal, portraying vulnerability with only a few words. His face is partially obscured by a knit cap, revealing a need for protection. His brother Danny Chavis is also on guitar. There’s also Alex Cox on bass and Dale Miller on drums. Daniel’s falsetto vocals veer into soul territory at times, in a song that is mostly impressionistic. Other members of The Veldt that are Hayato Nakao who programs beats, plays bass , guitar, and programs things, as well as LG Galleon and Martin Neuman on guitar.
With only three chords presented on “In A Quiet Room,” and the overlaying guitars chiming and creating pads, the effect is hypnotic, and one can imagine that hearing this performance live would be even more mesmerizing. And for lucky fans in Japan, that experience can be a reality, as The Veldt are in the midst of a Japan tour. The Veldt originated in New York City but now are centered in Raleigh North Carolina, and “The Quiet Room” is from their 2017 album, The Shocking Fuzz Of Your Electric Fur: The Drake Equation. Their most recent release is an album shelved for decades and finally released in November 2023, Illuminated 1989. KEXP is in Seattle, Washington.
THE VELDT JAPAN 2024 TOUR
MAY 31 Imari – Cafe Museum (1F Nishiki Building, 560-2 Shintencho)
JUNE 3 Fukuoka – Utero (2F 6-34-2 Kiyokawa, Chuo-ku)
JUNE 7 Kumamoto World Beer Terminal KAEN (1F Ginza Place, 1-10-3 Shimodori, Chuo-ku)
JUNE 8 Imari – Amusement Hall Rainbow (2F Pine Port Building, 3430-13 Tachibana-cho)
JUNE 10 Kobe – Alchemy Kobe (3-5-5 Kitanagasatsudouri, Chuo-ku)
JUNE 12 Shimokitazawa – Breath (2-14-7 Kitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Shimokitazawa Central Building, 3rd floor)
JUNE 13 Kunitachi – Chikyuya (1-16-13 Higashi, Kunitachi-shi, Morohashi Building B1)
JUNE 15 Koenji – Green Apple (4-9-6 Koenji Minami, Suginami-ku, Daisan Yajima Building, 2nd floor)
JUNE 17 Nagoya – KD Japan – Vacant lot (5-12-7 Chiyoda, Naka-ku)
‘The Shocking Fuzz Of Your Electric Fur: The Drake Equation’ On Bandcamp
‘Illuminated 1989’ On Spotify
Purchase ‘Illuminated 1989’ On Vinyl
Little Cloud Records
The Veldt On Facebook
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