Oh Mercy and The Veils

Last night, in a weekend of back to back gigs, Nicole and I met outside the Curtin House and made our way upstairs to the Toff in Town, for the near sold out gig.

Grabbing a beer, and checking out the band members in the crowd, everyone shuffled up to the stage in anticipation for Oh Mercy to begin. Opening and closing with Seemed Like A Good Idea and Lay Everything On Me, the little foursome played their tunes from their LP and EP, plus the inclusion of the Demo tracks like Salvation Jane and Holding On.

Astrid, No was introduced as a track about Alex and Thom's crush on their Kinda teacher. Met A Wizard and Broken Ears were lovely, and In My Stride started with a hint at it's origin.

Get You Back was a big crowd favourite, with two new songs, one with the line I'm A Single Man/Don't Fuck Up My Plans, and the other with Thom on lead vocals. A great set, and our reason for coming out this night.

The headliners of the evening were The Veils, of which the Oh Mercy boys profess their fanhood for. Finn Andrews graced the stage with his iconic hat, and played the set with enthusiasm for the enthusiastic crowd, but also melancholy about it being the last gig for the year, and also fatigue from a big year. Playing a specific request from Oh Mercy's Thom, some words were forgotten, and apologies and explanations of tracks rarely played.

The Toff is such a great music venue, which last night just shone through. People shut up for the acts, totally into the band and their efforts, which in turn encourage said bands to chat and engage with their audience. A venue for finding artists, and hearing them at their intimate best, with actual music lovers all around.