10 Questions with Finn Andrews

Finn Andrews

Veils frontman Finn Andrews, who has been likened to Nick Cave and David Bowie, will bring his solo show to Womad 2019.

1. Tell us who you are and where you're from.

My name is Finn Andrews. I guess I'm from London.

2. Describe your sound in one sentence.

Oh Christ. Um. Like a piano in a vat slowly filling with water.

3. What do you think is the key thing WOMAD festival artists have in common?

They all seem to have pretty cool clothes and nice teeth. Nice hair too. Lovely hair.

4. Which of your songs is your favourite to perform live and why?

I'm not sure, we haven't played any of them yet. There's one called One by the Venom. That'll be a gas if we get it right.

5. What can the WOMAD audience expect from your performance at the festival?

It's the first show of our tour, so we'll be a little nervous, but that often lends a good, manic energy. It will be a dreamy little time I hope.

6. Which other acts on the festival bill do you most want to see?

Teeks was brilliant at the Silver Scrolls. Baloji is wonderful. Nadia Reid has a voice like no other. Really interested to hear Sona Jobarteh too.

7. What does success as a musician mean to you?

I think it might be just as simple as carrying on. I feel very fortunate to have made every record I've made, and I've only seen the last album as a success because I've been allowed to make another. Obviously vast quantities of material wealth is also a reliable gauge.

8. What would you tell a young person wanting to be a successful musician?

Oh man I don't know... learn to type? It may sound trite, but only you know who you really are. I think that was the hardest thing for me to learn.

9. Who or what excites you most about music right now?

I'm excited that there are microphones being designed that can allow us to record frequencies that we've never heard before. Someone played me the sound of the planets the other night. I'm glad that I'm alive at a time where I can hear that.

10. You can only fit one album by another artist on your device — what is it?

Can I have a compilation? (That would be cheating - Ed) I feel like any artist would get a bit much after a while. I might have the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack from 1996. That way there's some variety and it will remind me of a time when it was common to only have one artist on your device at a time. Plus - Everclear & Radiohead on the same soundtrack. So strange.

•Womad takes place March 15-17 at New Plymouth's TSB Bowl of Brooklands, Pukekura Park.