Initially formed back in 2010 as a solo recording project of its founding member, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Nicholas Wood, the British shoegazer act The KVB stated off with a number of limited cassette and vinyl releases that included “The Black Sun,” which was released through FLA Records and the Into the Night EP, which was released through Downwards Records. Vocalist, keyboardist and visual artist Kay Day joined Wood the following year, and the newly constituted duo released their full-length debut Always Then through Clan Destine Records.
2013 was a busy year for the duo, as that year saw the release of their sophomore effort, Immaterial Visions, which was released through Cititrax that February. Wood and Day followed that up with a remix EP featuring contributions from Regis and Silent Servant that May — and a reissue of 2011’s limited edition cassette release Minus One through The Brian Jonestown Massacre‘s Anton Newcombe’s label, A Recordings.
The following year, Wood and Day went to Newcombe’s Berlin studio to track what would eventually become the Out of Body EP, which A Records released later that year. Interestingly, those sessions marked a couple of firsts for the duo — the first time that they worked outside of their home studio and the first time that they worked with Joe Dilworth, a dummer known for his work with Stereolab and Cavern of Anti-Matter. The more experimental material they recorded the year, would up comprising 2015’s Mirror Being, which was released through Invada Records.
2016’s Of Desire found the duo’s sound moving in a more experimental, electronic-leaning direction, as they recorded with vintage synths from Invada Records head and Portishead and Beak> mastermind Geoff Barrow’s collection. Continuing at a busy pace, the duo’s Fixation/White Walls EP was release in 2017 and they released a re-masted, fifth anniversary edition of Always Then. Interestingly, last year’s Only Now Forever finds the duo returning to their DIY roots, with the duo recording in their Berlin apartment over the course of 2017.
The album’s atmospheric, “Violet Noon” will further cement the duo’s reputation for pairing reverb-drenched shoegaze, 60s pop inspired boy-girl harmonies and minimalist electronic production — but within a swooning and achingly hazy dream-like song. “Influenced by Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra, ‘Violet Noon’ is a dark love song set against the backdrop of the apocalypse. While the world falls apart, all you can think of is the person you want to spend those last moments with,” The KVB say of the song and its accompanying video. “We shot the video last October, on the last unseasonably warm day of the year on the Jurassic coast in Dorset on the south coast of England. For us, the dreaminess of the video perfectly reflects the otherworldliness of this song, it feels like a hazy memory, timeless and romantic.”
The duo’s North American debut tour was originally scheduled earlier this year, and because of circumstances beyond their control, they were forced to reschedule, with the tour now happening during the fall. (All tickets purchased will be transferred to the new dates and any ticket refunds will be available from the point of purchase.)
The month-long tour includes a November 1, 2019 stop at Baby’s All Right. Check out the tour dates below.
The KVB North American Tour Dates
10.11 – San Diego, CA @ The Whistle Stop
10.14 – San Franisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
10.25 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
10.26 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
10.27 – Cleaveland, OH @ Mahalls
10.29 – Toronto, ON @ The Baby G
10.30 – Montreal, QC @ Bar le Ritz
10.31 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott
11.01 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
11.02 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
11.03 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
11.05 – Atlanta, GA @ The EARL
11.06 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
11.12 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
11.14 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
10.11 – San Diego, CA @ The Whistle Stop
10.14 – San Franisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
10.25 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
10.26 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
10.27 – Cleaveland, OH @ Mahalls
10.29 – Toronto, ON @ The Baby G
10.30 – Montreal, QC @ Bar le Ritz
10.31 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott
11.01 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
11.02 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
11.03 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
11.05 – Atlanta, GA @ The EARL
11.06 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
11.12 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
11.14 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
