W♥M (Archive)

Zack Villere and Mulherin at The Roxy, Los Angeles (08 Mar 2020)

Zack Villere 2020 Tour Read More Zack Villere Exposition by Zack Villere Bloo Cool Next Blue Chevy Look Right Thru Minivan (feat. J'von) 22 Up2me Sand People You Don't Care …

Zack Villere and Mulherin @ The Roxy, L.A. 3/8

Pop artist Zack Villere is currently on a U.S. tour with the twin brothers musical group Mulherin. Sunday night they grace the infamous stage at The Roxy in Los Angeles. It was one of those perfectly cool L.A. evenings, and fans of both acts were crammed into the venue early for the last show of the tour.

Mulherin dropped their new album Blurry last month and let me tell you, it’s a gem…though much softer and more melodic than their set on Sunday. Identical twins Parker and Marshall from Memphis have been gaining notoriety in Los Angeles and beyond for a few years now, and it’s clear why. They set the tone for the night with lots of fun, synth-heavy tunes to get the crowd ready for Zack. ’Friends’ , the soulful track off their 2018 album Human Nature, seemed to be a favorite amongst the fans. Everyone was smiling and hopping up and down for the entirety of their performance. Their single ‘Enemy’ wrapped up the set and the autotune vocals really work with this track. With smooth-as-butter vocals and ethereal harmonies, these guys are magnetic and certainly have sex appeal down to a science. If it takes talent and determination to make it in this industry, these two have it in droves.

When I first heard Zack Villere I thought he sounded like King Krule if he were American and still in high school. Zack has a sweet sensitivity in his voice and lyrics that make you wanna just reach out and hug him. He’s raw and silly while embodying the ability to hold the crowd in the palm of his hands. He came onstage with his guitarist Alex donning sports gear and glasses. Amidst getting tangled in the chords and asking for the lights to be turned down, Zack goes into ‘Grateful’, a cute love song off his new album Cardboard City. His fans knew every word to the tune, singing along-“Now that you’re beside me…I am so grateful…” He gave a shoutout to all his best friends in the building, and  indulged about the difficulties at times of being on tour, stating “At times, you know, I was like I f*!*@ing hate this…but it’s been really fun.”

‘Superhero Strength’ really got me with the lyrics ‘when I kissed you upside down I felt like Spider-Man…’  and again, the fans knew every lyric to the song. Zack continues to do a lot of dancing onstage and tells the crowd that the coronavirus is no joke…only to say that it’s in bad taste to say such things. He asks if we can all sing falsetto with him as the swirls of the disco lights paint his face and everyone is along for the ride. His guitarist Alex does a solo song that I didn’t catch the name of, but it was lovely nonetheless.

Zack goes into Sand People from his 2017 album Little World. This album gained massive attention from the critics and solidified that he was a uniquely worthwhile artist with a ton of emotions to express. His next song was a cover, Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story’, and the fans went nuts. Afterwards he brought up his friend Kyle to accompany on a song that got the crowd moving again. “This song goes out to my sickness…” Everyone laughs as he goes into the sweet little track ‘Sore Throat’. He ends the night covering No Doubt’s ‘Cool’ before going into his insanely popular track by the same title. The live version was slower and more pop-friendly than the hip-hop infused album version. Zack smiles wide and says into the mic “I appreciate you all…thank you so much for coming.”

Zack just ended his “Trevor Rice Is Not Going On Tour” tour and we’re excited here at WeHeartMusic to see what ventures he will go on next.

Mulherin

Mulherin

Mulherin

Zack Villere

Zack Villere

Zack Villere at The Roxy, Los Angeles (08 Mar 2020)

jess ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

The Veils at the Roxy, Los Angeles (07 November 2016)

Setlist Here Come the Dead Axolotl Do Your Bones Glow at Night? Low Lays the Devil Swimming with the Crocodiles Nux Vomica House of Spirits The Pearl A Bit on the Side Total Depravity Iodine and Iron Not Yet King of Chrome -- Encore -- Finn Solo The Tide That Left and Never Came Back Lavinia Calliope! Out From The Valley Jesus for the Jugular Read More The Veils We’re big fans of The Veils here at W♥M, so the show at the Roxy in L.A. on November 7th should be nothing short of spectacular. We covered them in 2013 …

The Veils are currently on tour promoting their new album Total Depravity, and they hit up the infamous Roxy on the Sunset Strip last Monday. It couldn’t have been a better time to see them, as the album is all about sin and depression and the unfortunate ways that some people in modern day society live their lives (check out the video for Low Lays the Devil). Finessed by the exceptional production work of El-P (Run the Jewels), their 5th studio album marks its territory as being the most polished since the fav of many fans, Nux Vomica. Fin laughs at the reactions he’s gotten on the heavily-played radio tune Axolotl-

“I find it hilarious when people ask ‘what’s going on?’ It’s funny, the idea of this evangelical preacher turning into a mexican salamander...what’s not to love about that? Also, my mom had an axolotl growing up.”

It’s dark, it’s gritty, it’s industrial...by far their most experimental album yet and it’s been getting consistent thumbs up from the critics. It was recorded in multiple locations: Estúdios Sá da Bandeira in Portugal, Konk Studios in London, Casa Lynch in Los Angeles, and El-P’s studio in Upstate New York...it’s no wonder the album has such an intense depth to it. Saccharine vocals are frontman Fin Andrew’s specialty, yet he always seems to nail them in a unique and genuine way.

Opening for the Veils was the cooky and fun-filled Anthonie Tonnon from Auckland, New Zealand. His music is poppy and danceable, I really enjoyed his energy...though it was a bit of an interesting choice for an opener for a band like the Veils. Nevertheless the crowd was pretty pumped about his onstage antics, and his obvious Bowie with a hint of Morrissey influence was appropriate for a venue like the Roxy. Anthonie was recently named in Billboard’s list of ‘New Zealand acts you need to know about.’

Veils Setlist

The Veils headlined the show. Fin and his bassist, guitarist, drummer and synth guy graced the stage and opened with the rowdy ‘Here Come the Dead’. You would think it’s about zombies, however it’s more of a simple, apocalyptic song with heavy drums and a Nick Cave kind of essence. Fin dons his infamous black hat complete with a silver angel wing necklace and a navy blazer.

The bassist was a super badass and had her hair falling in her face for almost the entire set, giving her the look you always want in that sparkling enigma. Next was the fire-breathing Axolotl, an obvious crowd pleaser and my favorite lyrics off the album, ‘Now Sister Maggie's coming in fleetfoot... Baby's got a belly full of black soot...I've got the feeling I'd better just stay put Ah she'll love you better than any real man could...’ it just sent chills down my spine. Fin is the lonesome cowboy you see on the side of the road and when he tilts his hat to you, you catch a gleam in his eye that borders on a sort of blackhearted madman but you never want to believe it to be true.

Low Lays the Devil is a bluesy tune with killer drums. Next was Swimming with the Crocodiles, which Fin attributes to his obsession with doodling hundreds of the little creatures over the years. This tune is more on the even-keeled side of things, with a simple melody and can be categorized as sort of a bittersweet love song, with the lyrics ‘you're all I've ever wanted...and there's no remedy...I feel you when there's no one else around...hold me like a child, you swollen crocodiles...’ .

The crowd roared as the notes for Nux Vomica started to play, the cinematic tune puts you in that dreary western movie where you feel you could dissipate in a vast pool of nothingness with one single look from the cowboy you came to forget. It’s a hard-hitting favorite among devout Veils fans and when the crowd sings the lyrics back to the band you can feel their energy transferring into that soft sacred space that inhabits both audience and musician, where everyone knows it goes but no one really talks about.

Fin introduced the next song House of Spirits as “Sort of different, maybe I’ve lived in the same place for too long...” He’s lived in the same flat in London since he was 16. Fin’s delicate and lovely British-meets-Aussie accent has a way of warming you up like a cozy blanket...you want them to go on for just a little longer, like a lullaby.

The band then sends us into a little frenzied story time about a truck driver who has probably gone a bit insane with King of Crome. The band played 4 or 5 encore songs, including Lavinia (Fin was solo onstage with his acoustic), Calliope! and Jesus for the Jugular. Fin talked of missing the sea before a sax and trumpet player joined the band onstage for a couple tunes, sending us off with yet another stellar performance by The Veils. Safe to say we all left the venue with our blood pumping.

The Veils at the Roxy, Los Angeles (07 November 2016)

jess ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic