Veronica Falls

If you believe everything you read, you'll be under the impression that indie music is dead and buried, suffocated by it's own tedium and refusal to try anything new. Whether you buy into this theory or not is a matter of personal persuasion, but it poses a striking challenge to a band like Veronica Falls.

For those already familiar with their wonderful self-titled record, the beautiful harmonies and infectious melodies on display tonight come as no surprise to those in the audience. The jaunty 'Stephen' blends in perfectly with the furious 'Beachy Head', a thrilling song with a truly sinister undertone. It's not an easy thing for a band to get an audience dancing along to a song about throwing yourself off a cliff, but they do it…they do it well. The mix of upbeat melodies and vocal interplay, both of which betray the depressive themes of their songs work perfectly, with the well-received 'Found Love In A Graveyard' being a case in point.

A handful of new songs are revealed tonight, including the new single 'My Heart Beats', all of which follow a similar path, recreating the joy and drama of their debut record. Veronica Falls are make no secret of their influences and have made no attempt to reinvent the wheel, but that hardly matters when this wheel rolls along just fine.

Despite the terrible, muddy sound that they have to bravely battle against throughout the show, their set builds and builds to a wonderful finale, with the relentless and engaging 'Come On Over' somehow managing to sound even more urgent and vital than it does on record. It's one of those songs that leaves you with a sense of disappointment as you wonder why it can't last forever. If indie music had ever died, with this one song, Veronica Falls can consider themselves medical marvels for bringing it back to life. The band then leaves the stage following a euphoric encore of Roky Erickson's 'Starry Eyes'. This is their moment and the victory is theirs.

So do we really need another group of pretty boys and girls with guitars with an ear for an infectious medley? When they sound this good, the answer is always going to be yes. The only possible explanation as to why critics are declaring indie dead is that they are yet to listen to Veronica Falls. Get in on the secret now, you won’t regret it.

FUTURE GIGS