Former HIM frontman Ville Valo officially presented his new solo project V V at the concert. He performed in Helsinki, Finland, on Friday (January 13) and yesterday (January 14) and at both concerts presented a set of new and classic compositions from the HIM catalog.
Valo performed 18 songs at the first two concerts in Helsinki — the third is also scheduled for tonight (January 15) — showcasing nine of the 12 songs from his debut album VV “Neon Noir”, as well as HIM tracks such as “The Funeral of Hearts”, “Right Here in My Arms”, “Butterfly Wings” and “Poison Girl”.
After today’s concert in Helsinki, Valo will embark on a big “Neon Noir” tour of the rest of Europe and the UK. The race will resume in mid-February and last until mid-March before he heads to North America.
Check out a few fan shots of the first two concerts below, and then check out the full setlist:
Ville Valo played:
1. ‘Echolocate Your Love’
2. ‘The Funeral Of Hearts’ (HIM song)
3. ‘Neon Noir’
4. ‘Right Here In My Arms’ (HIM song)
5. ‘Loveletting’
6. ‘Buried Alive By Love’ (HIM song)
7. ‘In Trenodia’
8. ‘Wings Of A Butterfly’ (HIM song)
9. ‘Heartful Of Ghosts’
10. ‘Join Me In Death’ (HIM song)
11. ‘The Foreverlost’
12. ‘The Kiss Of Dawn’ (HIM song)
13. ‘Run Away From The Sun’
14. ‘When Love And Death Embrace’ (HIM song)
15. ‘Soul On Fire’ (HIM song)
16. ‘Salute The Sanguine’
17. ‘Poison Girl’ (HIM song)
18. ‘Saturnine Saturnalia’
Speaking to NME earlier this week, Valo explained that “Neon Noir” was written during the pandemic, which, he said, “hit me hard emotionally.” Talking about the state he was in during the trial, he said: “I wouldn’t call it clinical depression. I come from a country [Finland] that has a peculiar history with rather gloomy people… it’s probably because of the very dark winters.”
He also shared the wise advice that Ozzy Osbourne once gave him on how to stir up the audience. According to Valo, the Black Sabbath legend advised him, “If you can’t get the front row [during a live performance], show them your tits.”
Regarding a potential HIM reunion, Valo recently hinted that it was possible, saying in an interview, “HIM were much more than just a band to me. If there was a good reason, a good idea or a good reason, or if suddenly everyone started reaching out to each other, I think that would be the best thing.”
