By: Emily Zemler
Ziggy Stardust has some company on the intergalactic rock’n’roll scene: Valient Thorr hails from Burlatia, Venus, where three ice rivers meet, as their website claims. When their space ship crash-landed in North Carolina five years ago, the Venetian lads mounted a rock assault against the unsuspecting citizens of Earth. The alien shtick gets played to the hilt, as the band responds to interviewers and fans with such sincerity that Valient Thorr’s alien origins almost seem plausible.
Thorr’s merry band includes bearded singer Valient Himself, drummer Lucian Thorr, guitarist Eldan Thorr, bassist Dr. Strangees, and new guitarist Bjorn Thorr, who responded to the band’s “emergency beacon” when previous axeman Jijn Thorr decided to forsake the rock and pursue the path of an “Earth man.” Valient Thorr’s latest, Total Universe Man, combines the speedy guitar riffs of Iron Maiden and the pompous showmanship of Van Halen with energized punk panache. But the album is hardly interstellar compared to the live show: Grizzled band members charge about the stage as Thorr Himself howls strange (and lengthy) philosophic tales of life on Venus while leaping off the speakers.
On this year’s Warped Tour, Valient Thorr became a favorite among the touring bands with their crazed show and explosive brand of dude rock. Besides catching them on tour this winter, fans can truly reach Venus’ summit of beauty and love by dropping two bucks on the band’s website in exchange for a lock of Valient Thorr’s hair. Shipping and handling not included.
Valient Thorr tour dates:
12/10, Honolulu, HI (Pipeline Cafe) 12/13, San Francisco, CA (Slim’s) * 12/14, San Luis Obispo, CA (Downtown Brew) * 12/15, Tempe, AZ (Marquee Theater) * 12/16, Los Angeles, CA (El Rey) * 12/17, Ventura, CA (Ventura Theater) * 1/13, Orlando, FL (The Social)1/29, Charlotte, NC (The Milestone)2/17, Hollywood, CA (The Viper Room) * – with the Aquabats
