Von Venn, the Irish indie rock outfit helmed by Gary Cox, has released ‘Ghost,’ perhaps their most compelling record to date. – Music For The Misfits
Constant Girl’ is, without a doubt, one of the most appealing indie-rock jewels released recently. – The Musical Hype
Von Venn is the main project of songwriter and instrumentalist Gary Cox.
Von Venn are
Gary Cox: Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Synths.
Terry Doyle: Keyboards, Synths, Vocals
Ciara Henry: Vocals
Mark Wogan: Drums
The musicians for the Von Venn project were gathered together by Gary Cox in 2022 to perform a collection of his songs written and recorded in demo form during Covid.
The band fleshed out the tracks at Soundcaster Studios, Dublin, Ireland.
The resulting album, Jeanie is Out was met with critical success with the likes of Hot Press, The Thin Air, RTE 2XM, iRadio, Cobra Promotions, Near FM and produced the standout singles Ghost, and Constant Girl.
Von Venn have now returned with their album Forgetting the Fall. The album is a new collection of songs full of harmony and melodic hooks. The songs that take us on a journey from the innocence of youth through cynicism, hidden agendas and ulterior motives and finally to hope and redemption. The songs for the album were written during 2024 and were again recorded and produced in Soundcaster Studios, Dublin, Ireland. The album draws on influences from past indie and alternative greats while still creating a unique distinctive style and sound.
“I think that’s the events of the last couple of years have led to a general loss of innocence with respect to world events and the bending of value systems to suit narratives. We live in a world where might equals right.
I reflected upon my own experience from the naïvety of youth (full of confidence that people would always do the right thing and people were true to their word). The experience of life both personally and with respect to world events taught me differently. The challenge is to be realistic but not cynical about how people operate.
If I look at the tracks in the album Forgetting the Fall the tracks follow that arc, from the innocence of Still Falling through to the realism of Mainstream and Can Talk to Me, to the call for action of Be Free.
Forgetting the Fall is about waking up, and approaching the world with a healthy realism”
Terry Doyle recorded and produced the album. Terry also doubled as the keyboardist for Von Venn.
Gary’s influences are wide ranging and vary from past songwriting greats such as John Lennon, John Martyn and David Bowie, Steely Dan through to indie/alternative artists such as Television, Jeff Buckley, Joan as Policewoman, Wilco, Queens of the Stone Age, Radiohead through to artists like Melodys Echo Chamber, Phoenix, and Cannons.
All of these sensibilities inform the songwriting, resulting in indie/alternative songs that have a strong melodic and lyrical core while still sounding fresh.
“You Can Talk to Me” is the first single from the upcoming latest Von Venn album “Forgetting the Fall”.
Ther track revolves around a grinding guitar riff backed by driving drums and bass.
A game of ulterior motives unfolds in a tale of two lost souls engaging in a dance of misdirection and subtle seduction.
They try to convince themselves and each other as to the purity of their intentions as they weave a narrative that excuses their actions. “we’re just killing time” The night unfolds leading to its inevitable conclusion.
“I have always been fascinated by what drives us as human beings, the complexity of our emotions, the multiple layers that we are capable of operating at….our ability to hide and even deceive ourselves as to our true intentions. I think these elements become even more interesting when taken in the context of sexual tension between a couple. They engage in game of desire and denial. This becomes even more apparent when the relationship is considered conventionally frowned upon, eg an affair, or inappropriate work relationship.
I introduced a double negative to the chorus to emphasise that at a deeper level the protagonists know that they are engaged in something inappropriate.” – Gary on the track