VNV Nation, Skinny Puppy, industrial music and furries: an inexplicable multi-nerd connection
by Patch O'Furr
UPDATE: VNV dropped out of the tour and got replaced by Frontline.
One of these things is not like the others… But I want to share, OK? If you make a Venn diagram of the way nerdy interests overlap, it will be plaid. Furries are nerdy. Many nerds love cool music. Some furries like industrial music.
Industrial music is aggressive, exciting and ominous, with futuristic themes of dystopia and urban decay. As art, you might call it the cold, metal shadow to the light side of nature, animals and furry things. It’s a big contrast to the sunny electronic pop that furry con-goers may expect. (Does music have anything to do with animals, anyways? Well, heavy metal gets associated with Wolves…)
Pictured: Ronan Harris from VNV Nation, giving no fucks with furry friends outside a 2013 show at Slim’s in San Francisco.
All the furries from last night’s VNV show pose for a moment with Ronan Harris. After he got a change of clothes and got off the bus, he dodged past a LONG line of waiting fans just to seek us out. Seems pretty surreal when the star of the show seeks you, the fan, out. Turns out his wife still has pictures of us in costume from the last tour. Thanks, Agnieszka!
VNV Nation is on tour again with 3 more top bands, and some furry music fans are excited! Tickets are here for the December 19 show in San Francisco.
Some say the tour brings a band that represents each decade of industrial music since the 1980’s. Youth Code is the newcomer bringing it back to raw, punky roots for the 2010’s, after some feel it got bogged down with silly clothes and silly dancing instead of making you feel like you’re in Blade Runner.
Haujobb has little recognition for pop hits, but high reputation as “thinking person’s” industrial music. They made me a happy dog fan way back in 1996 with their much loved album, “Solutions for a Small Planet”. Here’s a new video:
I think they’re celebrating these silly Germans:
Dejan from Haujobb is a super cool poster at a music forum. I told him I could help remake the video in live action, and Furries might come to the show:
Watch out Dejan… I’m coming to see you in December in San Francisco! More than a couple of my friends want to go hang out with Ronan… let’s see if we feel like ruining the show with costumes.
He answered:
That´s gonna be a freak show. MULTIFURRED AWESOMENESS
Skinny Puppy is the classic elder band of the tour. They’re known for theatrical horror stage shows that bring up animal rights and the future of species. Beneath the evil, they have a sense of humor and multi-nerd connections too:
Having furry fans is a sign you’re doing things right. They’re some of the most supportive fans there are. It will be a great show – let’s go!
With my fursuit, I want to wear the bad ass new shirt that TROXUM just sent me ($10 with free songs too), and try to send him back a pic with Ronan.
@DogpatchPress thank you! i was at anthrocon too that weekend. i never miss a good furry rave
— Troxum (@troxum) September 10, 2014
Can confirm. Rivethead dragon here.
Hi! Do you ever suit to shows? If you do, send pics. I may assemble a new post for that. 🙂 We have a scalie lizard in SF who got featured inside the liner photos of a recent Dandy Warhols album, hanging out with the band. Our local friend Spotti has been called out from the stage for fursuiting at Blink 182 and a bunch of other tiny spotlight moments at other shows. I’m waiting on a punk rock Rat suit and he will wear lots of EBM band patches!
I don’t suit at all, not yet anyhow. I’ve been on-and-off in the fandom over here in the UK for nearly 20 years now and I’ve never gotten around to doing the suit thing, though that’s not to say I wouldn’t like to at some point. It’s a question of having the funds, time and inclination. Life is pretty busy these days and right now I’m more about the music than the fluff 🙂
That said.. I’ll be at Infest later this year (having to skip ‘tanz) and there’s likely to be gigs inbetween so I’ll keep the camera sharp and see which fuzzpots I can capture for you at the shows…