My Bloody Valentine

My Bloody Valentine Artistfacts

  • 1983-
    Kevin ShieldsVocals, guitar1983-
    Bilinda ButcherVocals, guitar1987-
    Colm O Ciosoig Drums1983-
    Debbie GoogeBass1985-
    Joe ByfieldVocals1987
    David ConwayVocals1983-1987
    Tina DurkinKeyboards1984-1985
    Stephen IversGuitar1983-1984
    Paul MurtaghBass1984
    Mark RossBass1983
  • Kevin and Colm first met at a karate tournament in South Dublin in 1978. They became fast friends with a shared musical goal: "When Colm and I started out in Dublin years ago we were determined not do anything that wasn't totally original. So we messed around with excruciating noises."

    Those noises eventually developed into a groundbreaking genre called shoegazing, known for building walls of sound by using heavy distortion and feedback paired with ethereal vocals, along with the introverted stage presence of band members staring down at their shoes. MBV's second album, Loveless, is hailed as the epitome of the genre.
  • They took their name from the 1981 Canadian slasher flick My Bloody Valentine about a killer who wreaks havoc in a mining town on Valentine's Day.
  • After the critical success of Loveless, the band scored a deal with Island Records for their follow-up album. However, much of their advance was wasted on building a new and unsatisfactory studio, and the pressure to craft another masterpiece proved to be too much for Kevin. Legend has it, he locked himself away for years in a house surrounded by barbed wire, with only chinchillas to keep him company. Kevin admits to the barbed wire and chinchillas, but claims rumors of his insanity were greatly exaggerated.
  • Their follow-up would finally come 22 years later with MBV (2013).
  • Kevin and Bilinda were romantically involved throughout the late '80s and early '90s.
  • Kevin and Bilinda both developed tinnitus, a type of hearing loss that produces ringing or hissing sounds in the ear, during the mixing of Loveless.
  • Kevin on the group's songwriting process (Option, 1992): "It's not like we're thinking, 'Oh, I feel really bad or angry and I want to make something that will represent that. It's done more in a really unfocused sort of way. he only time it makes sense is when it all comes together. When I write lyrics, I take liberties with them because I'm not particularly trying to convey anything to anyone in words. It makes sense to me and gives me enough conviction to sing the songs, but it doesn't necessarily make a lot of sense to other people. That's what all our music is like. It's ambiguous, but in an ethereal, flowy way. It's kind of see-through. And the lyrics are only as substantial as the impression you get from the entire song."
  • Since leaving the band in 1987, David Conway has become an author of science fiction/horror novels like Tokyo Gothic (2009) and Celebrity Gotham (2010). He also started his own publishing company, Radical Robot Books.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?

Hardy

HardySongwriter Interviews

The country hitmaker talks about his debut album, A Rock, and how a nursery rhyme inspired his hit single "One Beer."

Bob Dylan Lyric Quiz

Bob Dylan Lyric QuizMusic Quiz

Think you know your Bob Dylan lyrics? Take this quiz to find out.

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many Songs

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.