In “Anthem for a Doomed Youth,” Veil Veil Vanish declares, “it’s just we seem to look so good when things collapse, the way they should.” At the Pill at Great Scott Friday, they fulfilled that promise. Despite a borrowed drum kit that band members said was perpetually on the verge of disintegration (and with a high hat stand subbing in for cymbal support), the San Francisco group turned out a tight and exhilarating set for the small but enthusiastic crowd at their Boston debut.
Ripping into opener “Change in the Neon Light,” Veil Veil Vanish played with focused intensity, giving an exuberant edge to their music’s oft-ominous undertones. Bassist Amy Rosenoff, serenely pressing effects petals with her shiny black stilettos, was a cool foil to singer Keven Tecon’s impassioned contortions. His vocal and physical exertions earned him dripping hair and a wet shirt front. “Do you like my sweat? I left my skinny ties at home,” he joked.
All that energy brought a big sound to Great Scott’s small stage. Drummer Robert Marzio kept the beats driving and danceable, and guitarist Cameron Ray’s arm nearly blurred as he powered through the headlong rush of “Exile City.” On “Anthem,” Rosenoff’s growling, resonant bass dominated with rhythmic and gritty distortion. But the band slowed it down for haunting set-closer “The Wilderness.” Rosenoff and keyboardist Justin Anastasi traded instruments, with Tecon putting aside his guitar to join in on the glassy, synth-heavy landscape.
Veil Veil Vanish’s Great Scott appearance was part of a short East Coast tour also taking them to Philadelphia and NYC. If you missed them this time around, take advantage of technology and check out their new album Change in the Neon Light.