Liam Finn joins Warpaint on fall tour, coming to Carrboro

Singer-songwriter Liam Finn released his third full-length solo album earlier this year via Yep Roc Records titled The Nihilist and he is coming back to the U.S. for a short tour this fall opening for Warpaint.

Finn will open Warpaint's show at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Saturday, October 18. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketfly for $17.

Check out Finn and his band performing "Burn Up the Road" from The Nihilist on WNYC earlier this year below.

Liam Finn announces new album 'The Nihilist,' shares "Snug as Fuck"

New Zealand-raised singer-songwriter Liam Finn is preparing to release his third full-length solo album this spring titled The Nihilist.

The album will be released on April 8 via Yep Roc Records. Check out the complete track list and listen to the album's third track titled "Snug as Fuck" below.

Check out photos from Liam Finn's show with The Veils at Local 506 in 2008 HERE and photos from his show at The Pour House earlier that year HERE.

Win tickets to Liam Finn at Casbah

Touring on his latest album, FOMO, Liam Finn will play Casbah in Durham with Marques Toliver on Monday, Oct. 17.

To win a pair of tickets to the show, email trianglemusiccontests at gmail dot com with "Liam Finn tickets" in the subject line no later than 9 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 17. We will notify the winner that morning. One entry per person, please. Update: Congratulations, Jonathan B.!

Tickets to the show are $10 in advance and $13 day of, and are available through etix.

Check out our review of FOMO here and Finn's video for his new single "Cold Feet" below the jump.

Album Review: Liam Finn - FOMO

Liam Finn has all the tools to be a master pop song craftsman — he proved so on his vibrant collabrative EP with Eliza Jane, Champange in Seashells. But FOMO, which stands for fear of missing out, doesn’t showcase his talent.

On FOMO, Finn is like a skilled carpenter who just builds plain oak chairs; nothing fancy, but solid with all the required parts. Most of the songs here are functional, but uninspiring. Finn tries to distract from this by cramming in addition sound effects like laser beams which are more annoying than imaginitive.

Liam Finn announces fall tour, coming to Durham

Singer-songwriter Liam Finn released his second full-length album FOMO in June via Yep Roc Records, and he's hitting the road this fall to support it.

The tour is currently scheduled to wrap up at the Casbah in Durham on Monday, October 17. Maurice Toliver will open the show. Tickets are on sale now via etix for $10.

Finn has been touring with a band for the first time this year, so hopefully they'll be with him on the fall dates, which would make the Durham show his first full band gig in the Triangle.

New music from Liam Finn - "The Struggle"

New Zealand songwriter Liam Finn is gearing up to release his sophomore solo album titled FOMO on June 21 via North Carolina based Yep Roc Records. His last release under his own name was the EP Champagne in Seashells, released with his touring cohort Eliza Jane in 2009 (check out our review HERE).

The new album features Finn alone, playing everything himself. He'll also embark on his first tour later this year with a full band. Previously, he toured as a duo with Eliza Jane.

Download or stream the song "The Struggle" from FOMO below (to download, click the down arrow in the right column of the widget). We'll keep you posted in Finn schedules a return to the Triangle.

BARB to release debut album via Yep Roc Records

A new low-key supergroup has formed down in New Zealand called BARB, which features Liam Finn, Lawrence Arabia, Elija-Jane Barnes, Connan Mockasin and Seamus Ebbs. The band is preparing to release their self-titled debut album via Yep Roc Records out of Haw River, NC, on August 24.

Click below to download the the spacey little tune "Leo" from the album. Also check out a video of the band dancing to the song "Not a Bird," which is a fantastic little percussive pop tune.

Lawrence Arabia just released his new solo album Chant Darling via Bella Union in March. Check out the album review here. Finn and Barnes released their latest EP Champagne in Seashells via Yep Roc last September. Check out that review here.

Album Review: Liam Finn + Eliza Jane - Champagne in Seashells

For his latest effort, Liam Finn is joined by his childhood friend and muse Eliza Jane. The duo have put forth Champagne in Seashells, a delightful five-song EP.

The EP is appropriately titled. Throughout the track list, bubbly melodies tickle the ear wrapped in the analog waves of studio effects and fuzz. Finn supplies the listener with variations on funk, pop, and late 60’s Beatles rock

“Plane Crash” begins with slowly building verses that make me think that Liam Finn is the missing member of Sgt. Pepper's brigade. It explodes into violence and confusion just halfway through. “Long Way To Go” ups the funk factor and is heavy on the back beat.

New music from Liam Finn + Eliza Jane - "Plane Crash"

Liam Finn and his percussion playing and singing cohort Eliza Jane have a new 5-song EP coming out on Yep Roc Records. It's titled Champagne in Seashells and will be released on September 1. Download the first track, "Plane Crash," from the EP below.

Liam and Eliza currently have no tour dates scheduled in the United States Triangle, but you can check out our coverage of their shows at The Pour House and Local 506 last year here and here. Their current US dates are below.

The Veils and Liam Finn at Local 506

I've been a bit slack on getting this one up, but it's better late than never.

Young singer-songwriter and Yep Roc artist Liam Finn swung through the Triangle again Sunday night and this time he brought friends. Finn brought London band The Veils on tour with him on this run who played a phenomenal show.

The four-piece took the stage and played a short set of mostly new songs from a forthcoming album due out next year. The set also included three great tracks from the band's most recent album, Nux Vomica which I highly recommend. Lead singer/guitarist Finn Andrews has one of the most intense voices and delivery that I've heard in a while.

Liam Finn took the stage next and opened with the classic Beatles track "Birthday." It's an odd choice for a Beatles cover, but he made it work with his drum and guitar loops. He then launched into tracks from his debut album, I'll Be Lightning. About a hundred people showed up for the show which was considerably more than his show at The Pour House in March.

The Veils set list:
Turn Blue/Three Sisters
Sit Down By the Fire
Jesus For the Jugular
Calliope!
Killed By the Boom
The Letter
Not Yet

[photos by Kevin Norris]

The Veils


Liam Finn

Liam Finn announces headlining tour, The Veils open

Our favorite pint-sized New Zealander Liam Finn has announced a six week headlining tour to follow a run of dates opening for Eddie Vedder. Finn released his debut album in the US in January and has been touring ever since.

The tour includes a stop at Local 506 on September 7. The last time Finn was in the Triangle was in March at The Pour House (read a review of the show here).

Finn won't be traveling alone on this trek. The Veils will be out to open the entire run. The Veils are a killer band from the UK and they tour the US infrequently. Like most UK bands, and generally play only major market cities when they do tour the US, so the show in Chapel Hill is a rare treat.

Liam Finn will release a live EP in August that was recorded at The Wiltern in Los Angeles earlier this year. The EP will only be available in independent retailers.

Download mp3s from Liam Finn and The Veils below the tour dates.

Here's the headlining tour schedule:
Sep-04 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
Sep-05 Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live
Sep-06 Washington, DC - The Rock and Roll Hotel
Sep-07 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
Sep-09 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
Sep-10 Memphis, TN - Hi Tone
Sep-11 St Louis, MO - Billiken Club, St Louis UNI
Sep-13 Denver, CO - Monolith Festival
Sep-15 Albuquerque, - NM Launch Pad
Sep-16 Santa Fe, NM - Santa Fe Brewing Co.
Sep-18 Tuscon, AZ - Plush
Sep-19 San Diego, CA - Casbah
Sep-20 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex
Sep-21 Las Vegas, NV - Beauty Bar
Sep-23 San Francisco, CA - Bottom Of The Hill
Sep-24 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
Sep-26 Seattle, WA - High Dive
Sep-27 Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret
Oct-01 Minneapolis, MN - 7th St Entry
Oct-02 Chicago, IL - Lakeshore Theater
Oct-03 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
Oct-04 Toronto, ON - El Mocambo
Oct-05 Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa (Pop Montreal)
Oct-07 Boston, MA - Paradise
Oct-08 Portland, ME - Space
Oct-09 Northampton, MA - Iron Horse Music Hall
Oct-10 Providence, RI - Club Hell

Liam Finn - "Second Chance" (mp3) from I'll Be Lightning

The Veils - "Advice For Young Mothers To Be" (mp3) from Nux Vomica

Liam Finn at the The Pour House

I'm usually not a fan of looping live instruments, but Liam Finn really makes it work.

Finn played The Pour House Tuesday night to play songs from his debut solo album, I'll Be Lightning. His friend EJ Barnes contributed backing vocals, percussion and autoharp during the set.

Finn jumped from guitar to drums throughout the night and even played a theremin-like instrument during one song. The energy that he puts into his set added a whole new dimension to his songs.

At the end of a number of songs, Finn would loop a series of guitar, "bass" (guitar with an octave pedal) and vocal parts and then hop on the drums. He's a bit of a spastic drummer, but he's quite good. He played most of the instruments on his album.

Liam Finn definitely has his father's sense of melody and musicality (his dad is Neil Finn, by the way, frontman of Crowded House and a solo artist). Liam is certainly not recreating the music of his father or trying to use his name to garner attention. During an interview with Nic Harcourt at KCRW, Finn said that hearing Nirvana was one of the landmark moments of his formative years. Finn has a 3-year work visa and plans to build a fanbase from the ground up in the US.

From his performance at The Pour House, it doesn't seem like it'll take Liam Finn three years to make a name for himself in the states. He has the personality, energy and most importantly, the songs and musicality to go far, and we'll hopefully see more of him in the area in the not-so-distant future.

[all photos by Kevin Norris]