Legendary HIM frontman Ville Valo is set to hit Australia and New Zealand for his first-ever solo tour in March.
The tour will see Valo bring material from his debut VV full-length Neon Noir to life in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Much to the delight of a legion of devout Australian fans, Valo is promising to mix in a selection of songs from HIM's celebrated back catalogue for good measure. With eight HIM records and that signature five-octave vocal range at his disposal, the setlist for these shows has the potential to be unforgettable.
If recent setlists overseas give any indication Valo is making a habit of delivering on his promise to give fans the chance to see some of HIM's most iconic hits live, having routinely performed classics the ilk of The Funeral of Hearts, Right Here in My Arms, Buried Alive By Love and Join Me In Death.
To help pass the time before the Finnish god of love metal arrives down under, we've put together a wish list of five HIM classics we hope Valo will play when the tour finally arrives.
Five HIM Classics We Hope Ville Valo Plays On His Upcoming Tour of Australia
When Love and Death Embrace (Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666)
An achingly beautiful love song, When Love and Death Embrace is one of the earliest examples of Valo's capacity to seduce the listener. Valo's delivery on this standout track from HIM's debut full-length Greatest Love Songs Vol . 666 is simultaneously sultry and haunting, there's something uniquely evocative about the Neal Diamond-esque croon of his voice as he sings the lines "when love and death embrace" over a brooding instrumental. This would sound incredible stripped back in theatre surrounds.
Join Me In Death (Razorblade Romance)
Inarguably one of HIM's best songs, Join Me In Death has had Valo fans entranced since the moment it was released as the lead single for their second album, Razorblade Romance in November of 1999. Gorgeous melodies, brooding instrumentation and some of Valo's most poetic lyrics unite on this anthem of desperate longing. Death has arguably never sounded quite as sexy as when Valo heads for the heavens in the chorus singing "Would you die tonight for love?". The video is probably the exact moment Valo became a pin-up for the Gothically minded.
Heartache Every Moment (Deep Shadows & Deeper Highlights)
"From ashes to lashes and from lust to dust, in your sweetest torment, I'm lost" In the poetic opening phrase of Heartache Every Moment, Valo communicates the bittersweet sensation of being in love with someone you somehow know is going to leave you. This anthem of blissful surrender is one of the quintessential examples of HIM's mastery of gothic melodrama. Every element of this song is placed to allow Valo's voice to drag you down into heavenly suffering. He has yet to play it or any other song from Deep Shadows & Deeper Highlights overseas but we hold out hope of a solo debut in Australia.
The Funeral of Hearts (Love Metal)
Speaking of goth romantic melodrama. As one of the best-known HIM songs ever released, we probably don't need to wax lyrical to convince you this needs to make the cut, but we will anyway. One of the best songs on HIM's most iconic record, Love Metal, The Funeral of Hearts serves up everything that made HIM an international phenomenon in a neat 4min30 of goth rock perfection. The way the instrumental wraps itself around Valo's pristine yet pained vocals is masterful and the depth of songcraft on display is HIM reaching their zenith. They would go on to write heavier, more complex songs on later records (2007's Venus Doom is tremendous) but nothing quite hit with the masses like The Funeral of Hearts.
Seeing Valo singing this live is likely on the bucket list of many HIM fans.
Wings of a Butterfly - (Dark Light)
The more commercial soundscape of 2005's Dark Light was divisive for some HIM fans but there is no denying the record contains some absolute melodic gems. Of these Wings of a Butterfly is the undeniable highlight. Built around a simple yet brilliant guitar riff, Wings of a Butterfly is the type of pop-infused goth rock anthem that The Rasmus or Black Veil Brides dream of writing. The chorus features one of Valo's best melodies and the way the rest of the song is constructed to service it is a testament to the growth the band experienced as musicians in the years prior.This is as stadium goth as HIM ever got, but that's not a bad thing in our books. Bonus points for the mid-'00s nostalgia trip provided by the video.
VV Neon Noir Australia & New Zealand Tour 2024
Tour Dates
Wed, March 13: Powerstation, Auckland
Fri, March 15: Northcote Theatre, Melbourne
Sat, March 16: The Metro, Sydney
Sun, March 17: The Tivoli, Brisbane
Tickets are on sale now via The Phoenix
Neon Noir is out now.
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