Legendary shoegazers THE VELDT share ‘In A Quiet Room (Live at KEXP)’ as they launch Japan headliner tour
American shoegaze legends The Veldt present ‘In A Quiet Room’, an immersive audio-visual experience that takes the listener to the studio of Seattle’s KEXP Radio, where they recently recorded a full live session.
At the same time, hot on the trail of a series of US east coast tour dates with Ringo Deathstarr, The Veldt will now be heading across the Pacific Ocean for a 3-week Japan tour in support of their ‘Illuminated 1989’ album, out now via Portland’s Little Cloud Records and North Carolina’s 5BC Records.
Formed in North Carolina in the 1980s, The Veldt’s heady and sensual blend of shoegaze and progressive soul, dreamy soundscapes and infectious grooves makes them stand out among the world’s most notable first-wave shoegaze bands. The band’s core is Daniel Chavis (vocals, guitar), Danny Chavis (guitar) and Hayato Nakao (bass, programming).
‘Illuminated 1989’ is the original full-length record produced by Cocteau Twins’ Robin Guthrie (who also recently remastered it for vinyl). Intended as their first album, Capitol Recordsshelved the recording and sent them back into the studio with producer Lincoln Fong (Moose, Piroshka), to work on their official debut release – the ‘Marigolds’ album.
In late 2023, the Veldt released their seductive ‘Aurora Borealis’ 7″ single, featuring Elizabeth Fraser‘s cameo on backing vocals and ‘Aurora Borealis Remix’, plus videos for ‘Angel Heart’, ‘The Everlasting Gobstopper’and ‘Shallow by Shallow’, featuring footage from the Ritz NYC by Simon Raymonde of Cocteau Twins. Most recently, The Veldt shared a live video for the yet-unreleased song ‘Joi’.
Pitchfork included The Veldt’s album ‘Afrodisiac’, produced by the legendary Ray Shulman (The Sundays, Bjork, The Sugarcubes) in the top 50 shoegaze albums ever released, while Stereogum included ‘Until You’re Forever’ in the top 31 shoegaze tracks. Their sound also inspired future generations of alternative artists, including TV On the Radio.
The Veldt’s journey is fascinating. Performing since they were children, the Chavis brothers’ musical roots lead back to the church and southern juke-joints, and listening to music that included gospel, Motown and Pink Floyd. The Veldt formed in the late 80’s in Raleigh amongst the legendary North Carolina music scene of the time, initially signing with Mammoth Records – leading to a chain of major-label relationships that took the group across Europe and the U.S. playing shows with the likes of Throwing Muses, Pixies, Cocteau Twins and Jesus & Mary Chain.
After moving from Raleigh to New York, they briefly performed as Apollo Heights before returning to their original name The Veldt. Other notable releases include ‘The Shocking Fuzz Of Your Electric Fur’ EP (2017) and the album ‘Entropy is the Mainline to God’ (2022).
Over the years, The Veldt has collaborated with TV On The Radio, Mos Def, Lady Miss Kier (Deee-Lite), A.R.Kane and toured or played with Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Pixies, Throwing Muses, Echo & The Bunnymen, Cocteau Twins, Manic Street Preachers, Phantogram, Modern English, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Oasis, Chuck D, Living Colour and Schooly D.
The ‘Illuminated 1989’ album is out now on limited edition translucent pink or clear vinyl with a gatefold sleeve. It is also available from fine digital platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp.
ALBUM-RELATED VIDEOS
‘Aurora Borealis’ https://youtu.be/yt0a3lM-Sk8
‘Aurora Borealis Remix’ https://youtu.be/PkiYdv0vgfo
‘The Everlasting Gobstopper’ https://youtu.be/oW7WI6DjM0Y
‘Shallow by Shallow’ video https://youtu.be/ellayx7D8jg
‘Angel Heart’ https://youtu.be/gC9VKNTarE4
JAPAN TOUR DATES
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)
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