Irish electronic rock duo VNV Nation will be performing in Austin on Saturday, February 25th at Elysium. VNV Nation are performing at Trees in Dallas tonight, February 23rd. Their critically acclaimed eighth studio album AUTOMATIC was released on October 25th, 2011 via their label Anachron America. It peaked at #8 on Media Control's Overall Album chart, which is the German equivalent of the Billboard charts in America.
AUTOMATIC has held its ground at #1 on the Alternative Album chart for eight consecutive weeks. It was also #1 on the Alternative Digital chart and has been #9 on the Physical Sales chart. In addition, the first single "Control" has remained at #1 on the Alternative Singles Electronic Chart for eight consecutive weeks.
One of the most frequently asked questions is what the letters VNV stand for. They stand for "Victory not Vengeance". The meaning behind this motto is that one should strive to achieve and not sit in bitter regret. The members of VNV Nation are Ronan Harris, who handles electronics, lyrics and vocals; and Mark Jackson, who plays the drums. VNV Nation's original inspiration was the clash of modern and classical European cultures, where mythology and technology merge in an uneasy fusion. Their music ranges from electronic dance music to ballads and classical inspired music. Their lyrics draw on philosophy, literature, art, politics and different forms of symbolism.
VNV Nation formed in 1990 after Ronan Harris moved to London from his native Dublin, Ireland. This resulted in two limited edition self-produced vinyl releases: Body Pulse in May of 1990 and Strength of Youth in November of 1990. Ronan moved to Toronto in late 1990 where he continued to work on the project. In late 1994 Ronan returned to Europe to complete new material. In July 1995 VNV Nation signed with German label Discordia and released their first full length CD Advance & Follow. Around the same time Mark Jackson joined the band as the drummer.
In 1999, VNV Nation signed with Dependent Records. In late 1999, the album Empires was released and stayed at Number 1 on the DAC (German Alternative Charts) for 7 weeks and won the DAC album of the year in 1999. The album had two singles which were hits in Germany: "Darkangel" and "Standing" which won a German Alternative Music Award for most successful single of 2000. In October 2001, VNV Nation embarked on the Futureperfect tour of Europe and North America. In April 2002 VNV Nation went on a second tour of the United States. VNV Nation formed their own label Anachron Sounds to exclusively handle their future releases. The first release was the Honour EP in June 2003.
After not having played there for 3 years, VNV Nation played in 8 major US cities with Front 242 sideproject Coder 23 in 2005. Matter and Form was released in April. It reached # 7 on the US Billboard Electronic chart and # 32 on the US Billboard Independent chart. The band toured Europe and North America on their Formation Tour.
Comments