LIVE REVIEW: Ville Valo @ O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
What comes to mind when reading the words “Love Metal”? Grey afternoons. Rainy nights. Candlelit baths. HIM’s 2003 album. So it makes sense for a downpour to occur while we make our way across London to witness the final night of VV’s Neon Noir UK tour. Though one thing comes to mind, will VILLE VALO exclusively perform his new solo material, or will the wings of HIM’s butterfly still beat?
Due to strike action across the Tube network, people are still filing into the o2 Forum Kentish Town when Icelandic KÆLAN MIKLA takes to the stage. The lights drop leaving a hazy stain of purple and orange across the front central section of the stage. Silhouettes of three women stride onto the stage to a buzz of cheers.
The combination of post-punk and gothic metal haunt the beads of the venue’s chandelier. Laufey Soffía’s ethereal vocals float across the auditorium. Opening with their eponymous track, the translation for Lady Of The Cold is positively ghostly. The majesty Sólveig Matthildur Kristjánsdóttir holds over the synthesisers adds further sense of grace. Moving into Stormurinn, Soffía’s subtle movements billow through her lace dress. We’re prepared for a slower movement to sit and experience in appreciative silence. Yet Soffía soon takes to the microphone and unleashes powerful screams. The only downfall to the set at this point is Margrét Rósa Dóru-Harrýsdóttir’s bass sits too far forward within the mix to the point it dominates every track.
Kalt and Sírenur sift through the speakers like a plume of smoke. Listening out for Soffía’s vocals becomes difficult as the bass once again drowns them out but there seems to be no increase in volume for the vocals. Næturblóm is met with a thunderous cheer as it oozes in atmospherics. As we hear patrons around us complaining they weren’t visually stimulated, we have to point out KÆLAN MIKLA isn’t a band for everyone. Not just because of the language barrier between Andvaka and ourselves. Goth metal is known for being melancholy and incredibly morose. While post-punk introduces the atmospheric infusion. This results in a heady mix of music to experience in every sense except for sight.
As Hvítir Sandar closes the set, we have to reiterate this is certainly a musical experience. However that may not always translate for everyone. Much like the trio’s native Icelandic. Does that mean they’ve missed the mark? Not at all. They’ve set the tone for VILLE VALO perfectly. Yet sound issues and a faux pas in mixing means this band criminally floats into oblivion.
Rating: 6/10
Since HIM’s inception in 1991, Ville Valo has been something of a gothic sex symbol. A male new romantic wanting to serenade a woman and actually talk about their feelings? Simply unheard of in this day and age. All while relating to feelings of despondency and angst. Be still our jet black hearts. Though our vital organs are anything but as Zener Solitaire booms over the PA system. Pandemonium rules the roost from the sheer volume of screams. We’ve either collectively reverted back to the days of swooning over posters on our walls, or we have entered a cult we misplaced the initiation invitation for.
The man of the hour strides onto the stage in an all black ensemble and takes his place front and centre. VILLE VALO casts a nod to his backing band and the intro of single Echolocate Your Love dominates the room. Lifting the microphone to his lips, the crooner leans forward and addresses his adoring fans who “howl heartsick lupine lullabies”, his voice sounding as velveteen as it does on record. We miss the bass in the voice of “pinpoint the poison” at the end of the chorus. However as we’re taken into Neon Noir, the “flash-dance macabre to love’s soliloquy” is in full swing. Fans sing every word back to VILLE VALO and the show feels effortless. The stand up Heartagram at the back of the stage flushes tones of pinks and blues adding to the sensation we are simply bathing within our love eternal.
“Love’s the funeral of hearts” sends the crowd into a frenzy. Those five words transport us straight back to our first heartbreak. Looking around the stage, the backing band shows a little two step to their movements while VILLE VALO stays cemented to the spot. Is this a bad thing? Not at all. Valo is known for little movement during his live performances as it allows for a better vocal performance. For this being the first time Valo has graced the stage of The Forum, he commands it very well through almost no motion whatsoever. Where Funeral Of Hearts begins, Right Here In My Arms continues. Valo’s desperate screams fill us with nostalgia. If this is the closest we ever come to HIM reunion, we will gladly take it.
What may jar some patrons is the lack of crowd interaction between each song. Instead of saying anything or introducing the next song, Valo simply moves to the drum riser for a refreshment. A subtle nod leads into Loveletting. Fans clap in time to the “two heart beats out of sync” without missing a single step. The light show from the Heartagram flushing crimson to magenta is sublime. One thing which pulls from the moment is the sheer amount of phone screens up in the air, but that is a personal preference. As we steep in the soft temperance of the new, Buried Alive By Love sends chills up the spine. The words fall from our lips without second thought and this evening becomes a trip to the light fantastic.
In Trenodia is an utter joy to listen to. This ode to paradise is played to perfection. Valo’s characteristic voice has us falling in love with the genre all over again, even when there are slight pitch issues within his screams during previous tracks. The question we asked at the top of the review is answered by the pun’s namesake Wings Of A Butterfly. The band is drowned out by zealous fans both young and old. We will comment we were left pining for the likes of Killing Loneliness or Passion’s Killing Floor but the rendition of Join Me In Death was as enchanting as it was during HIM’s final show.
A possible disservice to Valo’s solo material, a highlight of the set comes with The Kiss Of Dawn. Deliciously heavy riffs rattle the rafters and shake the disco ball sat above the stage. While HIM tracks may dominate the set list, they sound revitalised. The spark may have died for the band, but it is burning brightly for this enigmatic front man. Sandwiched between this and When Love And Death Embrace, Run Away From The Sun’s gentleness is beautiful. The softer ballad enchants patrons around the room, eyes unable to leave the Finn for a single second. It goes to show a frontman doesn’t need to dart around the stage in order to command attention.
An issue comes with the encore. Without being mealy-mouthed, four songs is too many. It runs the risk of becoming self-indulgent. The material included within it is divine, no doubt about it. Though watching people leave the auditorium or debate whether to stay for one more, risking missing a train home is heartbreaking. Those who chose to stay were treated to Poison Girl which oozes with the venom it did in 1998. The highlight of the encore however comes right at the very end. After a brief introduction of his backing band, VILLE VALO takes us to orbit with Saturnine Saturnalia. It’s rare a live song will convey the grandiosity of a studio recording yet this cruise through the stars does. We’re showered with stunning guitar work against a bed of pounding drums while Valo serenades us like a bard standing under a balcony. As we swoon however, VILLE VALO walks off the stage. The band say their goodbyes as the song comes to a close and the set simply ends.
After a moment of confusion, what remains of the audience steps out into the abysmal weather. Running down soaked streets and across puddle laden roads we indulge in the sound of rain hitting concrete. We’re warm with nostalgia. This feeling should not have ruled the roost. It feels like an injustice to Valo’s solo work. As it stands, there isn’t enough material to fill a ninety minute slot. We can’t and won’t criticise that. The setlist was constructed nicely though leaning more towards HIM classics. There was no track out of place here either. It was a seamless evening and one we would repeat again any day of the week.
Rating: 8/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in London from Karolina Janikunaite here:
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