You couldn’t ask for a fancier funeral than this. Ville Valo’s VV venture effectively died its death last September, when the ex-Him leader announced he’d be doing just one more tour under the moniker before passing into new musical planes. That final run crescendos tonight, amid the Italianate splendour of the Royal Albert Hall, which will soon be filled with the sound of gothic love songs.
Before that, though, it’s ZETRA who welcome tonight’s largely black-clad crowd. The UK synth-rock duo haven’t even released an album yet, but they’ve already signed to heavyweight label Nuclear Blast (home of Nightwish, Machine Head and Sabaton) and toured with a plethora of stars. The pair prove that they’ve earned such support using songs like Call Of The Void, which channel the moody yet melodic stylings of The Cure through an electronic filter. They look as striking as they sound, as well, face-painted and barefoot with a vortex-like backdrop. Factor in a subdued guest spot from Svalbard screamer Serena Cherry and the end result is a hypnotic half-hour.
