Ville Valo has announced his first-ever solo tour of Australia and New Zealand. The frontman of iconic Finnish goth metallers HIM, Valo will bring material from his debut VV full-length, 2023's Neon Noir to life, mixing in a selection of songs from HIM's celebrated catalogue for good measure.

Kicking off in Auckland on March 13th, the tour will then see VV hit Melbourne on March 15th and Sydney on March 16th before closing out in Brisbane on March 17th.

Tickets for the tour go on sale Thursday, 10th August at 10 am local time via The Phoenix. 

Brimming with charisma and gothic melodrama, Valo commands your full attention both on and off the stage. Perfectly fusing the melodic and the melancholic. A true innovator, Valo broke new stylistic ground when he came soaring out of land of the midnight sun, hypnotising the globe with an enchanting mix of dark rock anthems and emotionally charged ballads. 

 

With his distinguished baritone five-octave crooner voice, Valo's vocal prowess is unparalleled; equally at home making Chris Isaak and Neil Diamond classics his own or wearing his heart on his sleeve on HIM hymns, Funeral Of Hearts, Right Here In My Arms or Wings of A Butterfly. 

 

Valo’s evolution from the vampiric leader of HIM to the solo artist known today as VV is represented perfectly via HIM’s iconic Heartagram logo. Something Valo gifted the world when he created it on his 20th birthday. The truly iconic image perfectly captures the juxtaposition of the music with the heart representing its softer side, while the pentagram conveys the heavier, darker elements.

 

With VV, the Heartagram has been updated to include two extra lines to form the moniker VV at its centre. Ville playfully comments that, "Artistically speaking, the main difference between HIM and VV is the extra line in the Heartagram, but what an exquisite line it is!”

 

VV’s debut solo album, Neon Noir was released in early 2023 and it further exemplifies his storytelling prowess and the ability to contrast darkness and light. 

Earlier this year, Valo joined forces with Black Veil Brides to share a gloomy cover of Temple of Love by goth icons The Sisters of Mercy. 

Speaking about the release, Black Veil Brides vocalist and creative visionary Andy Biersack reveals the release is a special moment for him personally, and one that allows him to pay homage to an artist that has been greatly influential on his life and the music of Black Veil Brides. 

"I first discovered Sisters of Mercy in my freshman year of high school." "I had a poster of AFI from the Art of Drowning era and Davey was wearing a SOM shirt, and so, as was often the case back then, I went on the hunt to find the music that had inspired my favorite musicians. The very first song I heard by SOM was the '92 version of 'Temple of Love' and I became obsessed with their entire catalog."

"We've talked about doing a BVB version of this song for years and when given the opportunity to collaborate with fellow SOM fan and goth-rock icon VV, it seems liked the perfect situation. We are thrilled with how it turned out and hope that anyone who's familiar with the track enjoys our spin on it and those who have never heard the original enjoy it and maybe this will lead them down the path to the greatness that is SOM like that poster of AFI did for me when I was a kid."

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 for the tour go on sale Thursday, 10th August at 10 am local time via The Phoenix. 

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