The Veldt played The Rockwell – 4/27

Long-running Raleigh shoegazers The Veldt headlined a ONCE-presented Wednesday night gig at The Rockwell with locals Allison & Moon and Death Party.

We all have musical blindspots, but I was a little shocked at myself for having known nothing of The Veldt prior to last month. With roots in a 90s alt-rock scene that never fully embraced them (The Guardian has a great writeup from a few years back digging into all that), The Veldt conduct a glorious racket that blends soul, shoegaze, groovy psych and dream-pop into something genuinely unique.

Their 1994 full-length Afrodisiac is a solid jumping off point, but the band really clicks on stage. Brothers and bandleaders Danny and Daniel Chavis commanded a forceful wall of sound at The Rockwell in a short but powerful set that made instant fans of anyone in the room who arrived unfamiliar. A valuable reminder to listen up when folks like ONCE founder and music scene veteran JJ Gonson book a gig and emphasize it’s something you don’t wanna miss.

Opening the night were a pair of locals in Allison & Moon – pared back to the quieter side of their pop-punk-y sound with drummer Chris Canieso sidelined for the night – and Death Party, a recently-reactivated Boston trio featuring Future Teens’ Amy Hoffman who have a fascinating answer to the question: “what if…vibraphone emo?”

Check out photos from all three sets below.