On Friday, April 21st Ville Valo came through Las Vegas on his “Neon Noir Tour”. This tour features an opening performance from the all-female Icelandic darkwave band Kaelan Mikla, and this band was astounding. The trio came out to a darkly lit stage and began with a slow and haunting intro which led into their song “Kaelan Mikla”. These women had a dark and beautiful presence. Vocalist Laufey Soffia was stunningly mesmerizing. She danced slowly in the fog on stage in a beautiful Victorian-inspired black dress. Her performance was absolutely captivating. Although their lyrics are in Icelandic the emotions of each song were translated perfectly through Soffias emotional execution. Kaelan Mikla began in 2013 in Reykjavik, Iceland, and here they were 10 years later playing their first tour in the US. These women absolutely deserve all the success that comes their way, and I hope to see them playing the US again soon. They played an enthralling and seductive 8 song set that lasted about an hour. They closed out the set with their song “Hvitir Sandar” off their latest album Undir Koldum Nordurljosum.
After a short intermission, Ville Valo made his appearance on the stage. This was a moment that I have been waiting for years to witness. If you grew up in the late 90’s and Early 2000’s you probably knew who HIM was (you at least knew their symbol). Thanks to the Finnish rocker’s connections to members of the Jackass/Viva La Bam crews his popularity in the US really took off. Bam Margera helped spread the band’s symbol (The Heartagram) everywhere and so many people, without even knowing it, were brandishing HIM’s emblem on everything from t-shirts to skateboards thinking it had something to do with Bam. HIM began in Helsinki, Finland in 1991 and after some trials through those early days released their debut album (Greatest Lovesongs Volume 666) in 1997. HIM went on to become one of the most commercially successful Finnish rock bands of all time selling millions of records worldwide earning them both gold and platinum record status. After over two decades the band eventually decided to part ways stating that there was no bad blood, they just felt that HIM had collectively run its “unnatural course” and felt like there was no further they could take the band. The magic had simply dissipated.
After the disbandment of HIM in 2017 Ville Valo dabbled in some small side projects and then in 2023 came out and released Neon Noir as a solo artist. Which brings us to today. In front of a smoky stage with a backdrop emblazoned with a neon-colored heartagram. Here I was standing at the feet of a goth rock legend. This individual had been responsible for not only helping to shape my musical tastes but his music and lyrics had helped me through some of the most difficult times in my life and consequentially ended up imbibing qualities within me that helped form the person I am today. Ville Valo (aka VV) opened the set with “Echolocate Your Love”, and I was immediately blown away by this band’s sound. It was flawless! The best part about this show was that on the flyer at the bottom, it was marked “VV/HIM”. At first, I wasn’t sure what that meant exactly, but as they played the opening to the second song of their set, it all became clear. Throughout the entire set, VV alternated between his solo works and HIM songs, which took this performance over the top. To have the new and beautiful music he is producing, played with the hits that we all know and love and grew up with was such an amazing experience.
This tour is an absolute must-see. Even if you aren’t a huge fan of HIM, VV’s new music is beautifully mastered, flawlessly executed, and hauntingly seductive. His knack for entwining the realms of darkwave/synthpop with metal overlaid with deeply profound lyrics that tend to punch you right in the feels is something any rock fan should experience. Combine all this with the evocative and alluring performance by Kaelan Mikla and you’ve got a night you will never forget. These bands deserve recognition for their phenomenal work and if you miss out on this tour, don’t fret. I have a feeling we will be seeing much more of them both in the near future. Just be sure to get out and see them the next time they’re in your area!
