/r/MyBloodyValentine
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song recommendations
i havent really listened to mbv until i found the song “lose my breath” and i love it. I want to listen to more of them but i dont know where to start. Based off this song that i like, what else should i listen to?
23:34 UTC
Self titled>loveless
22:58 UTC
Why tf is loveless is spotify not loud 😔
I WANT TO MBV LOUD VACUUM SOUND AAARGHHHH!
13:48 UTC
Are gigs loud as hell?
I heard mbv used to play very loud. Is it still true in 2025 ?
00:09 UTC
Early Resources?
Hello everyone. I'm working on a video about the bands early EPs and projects from before 1988 and I was curious if anyone knew any good sources to go to such as band interviews or contemporary reviews? Much appreciated
18:35 UTC
guys
guys
18:32 UTC
Any dream set lists anyone has in mind if you were to see mbv live?
15:25 UTC
My band opened up for MBV in 2013
I’ve shared this story a couple of times in the past, in various FB guitar gear related groups as well as MBV groups. But it's only fitting to share it on Reddit as well, since the story is so dear to my heart.
Back in 2013, my band opened up for My Bloody Valentine in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
I’ve been a huuuuge fan since highschool and this was really a dream come true for me. What followed was one of the best nights of my life, hands down.
We came to the venue for the soundcheck and there was sooooo much gear on stage. It was crazy. Especially for a venue with a capacity for around 1000 people.
After My Bloody Valentine finished their soundcheck, we started unloading our gear, setting it up on stage. I got approached by Kevin’s guitar tech who joked around that Kevin will want to steal my guitar pedals. I was like: “Yeah, riiiiiiiight, lol”.
Lo and behold, a couple of minutes later, I turn around and there was Kevin Shields and his guitar tech, checking out my gear and introduced themselves. We talked about my gear, he was especially interested in my pedalboard. His guitar tech even wrote down the website of the pedal builder OHNOHO, whose Utter Stutter was on my board at the time. Crazy.
After our soundcheck, their tour manager came to us and told me that we were all invited to join MBV backstage after their show. Also, we got 50% off for any merch that we may have wanted to buy.
The MBV show was, of course, mind-blowingly amazing. A loud sonic massage, I was in a trance. So happy, like a kid. So, after their show, we went backstage. Met all the band members, had a couple of gin tonics, and just hung out. I’ve talked to Kevin about pedals, my Ampeg VT-22 and music in general.
The band and the entire crew were all super sweet and kind. Many thanks to them. What a night!
15:05 UTC
Tremolo album cover in thkw music video
Was watching the video and noticed this. Could have originated from this video?
07:12 UTC
Sometimes (acoustic) guitar tabs??
I can’t find these tabs anywhere and I barely know how to play guitar send an ambulance 💔
05:32 UTC
wtf lmao
00:59 UTC
Gig in cologne 20 Feb
Hey guys,
I saw the band are listed to play on viagogo on 20 Feb in cologne, is it legit or a cover band ?
11:24 UTC
swooshing sound towards the end of cupid come
does anyone know how he made that loud swooshing fan sound that rises up at towards the end of cupid come and then quickly cuts out before the song is fully over?
03:21 UTC
Geek! Guitar Tabs?
Hey all I was wondering if anyone has any guitar tabs for some of the songs off of Geek!, specifically The Sandman Never Sleeps. Thanks!!
20:23 UTC
If i had to choose only one song to listen to for the rest of my life,it would be "sometimes"
And i don't know why.
18:44 UTC
What is MBV's scariest song? Most upvoted comment gets added
14:43 UTC
What is that sound on 'Come In Alone'?
During the intro + each subsequent instrumental bit with the trippy lead melody, it's the chimey and high-pitched repeating motif I've never been able to pin down to a particular instrument or sound. It's become the most beguiling but alluring sequence on the record.
What is it? Is it sampled feedback played on a keyboard? Is it strange harmonics from a guitar tuning I've never heard elsewhere? It seems like both, but also neither.
This is my current favorite song on the album, as just by writing about it like this, I'm struck by the oddities it projects-- Colm banging away unmistakably for the lone time on Loveless, Kevin's voice pitched to sound a lot like Bilinda, whereas for 20 years I thought it was her-- as well as the utter simplicity it wields. A head-nodding bounce and a dorky little riff that somehow become one of their most utter psych moments, and one of their most noisy peaceful.
10:14 UTC
I made my first ever Shoegaze EP last week, here is a snippet of some of the stuff if you would like to check it out! (Full album on YT and Soundcloud)
04:05 UTC
Loveless 3ds
21:34 UTC
MBV biopic in an alternate universe
Kevin Shields played by Dylan Moran lol
00:41 UTC
is Wonder 2 a sequel to another song?
i'm curious how the song got its name
22:23 UTC
Will Orange Amps muddy up the mbv Tone too much?
I know that Kevin used vox and Marshall amp for a Brighter Tone, can i get the same on orange Amps?
10:33 UTC
How To Actually get MBV Tone
No. 1
Just buy a Keeley Loomer (~£285). If not, keep reading.
No. 2: Grit
Fuzz From the two photos of Kevin’s 90s pedalboard we have (one of which is extremely blurry and black-and-white) and his modern boards, it seems Kevin favors Roger Mayer Fuzz pedals. These are hard to find and cost £200+ (more on these in the comments by u/deplorable-amount45) The axis is based on Fuzz Faces, which he also might have used, so you could go with one of those as well. There are a couple of comparison videos on YouTube, so have a look at those. Kevin also uses the Death by Audio Fuzz Gun, the Devi Ever Godzilla, and the Devi Ever Shoegazer.
Muff Although I can’t find any photo proof, people seem to think he used an EHX Op-Amp Big Muff in the 90s. It’s what the Loomer is based on, and avid Shields tone-chaser Billy Corgan used one too. Nowadays, Kevin uses the more standard Little Big Muff.
Overdrive/Distortion For distortion, it’s a very hotly debated topic. Some swear by him using a Marshall ShredMaster, and some are convinced he used a Marshall Guv’nor. Whatever the case, by the time we got the color photo of his 90s pedalboard you can find online, he wasn’t using either. Although, I think he might be using one of them in the black-and-white photo we have, but I’m not sure.
Kevin also used a Turbo RAT in the 90s. I own a standard RAT myself, and I have to say, cranked, it’s one of the best shoegaze pedals you can buy. He seems to have stopped using it since the reunion, though. It’s a pretty harsh distortion, which doesn’t match up with the mbv tone, so I get it.
No. 3: Modulation/Filter
NO! You’re thinking of different shoegaze bands! Kevin barely uses modulation apart from sometimes his Dunlop Rotovibe. The Rotovibe is pretty expensive, and I don’t think Kevin used anything other than the vibrato mode. Unfortunately, finding a vibrato pedal for less than £150 is hard, especially one with an expression input. The Boss Vibrato seems to be £200+, so you might as well buy the Rotovibe at that point.
Later in this, I’ll talk more about Zoom multi-effect pedals for a good reason. But annoyingly, the pedal-equipped ones like the G3XN don’t have a pedal vibrato. However, they do have a pedal phaser, a pedal flanger, and a pedal rotary, which sound like the other modes of a Rotovibe, as well as a standard vibrato.
Tremolo is also used a lot mainly boss pedals
One of the biggest imprints on Kevin’s board is the Lovetone Meatball, a big, heavy, rare envelope filter that you really don’t need. There are a couple of remakes you can buy, but I’m not sure about them…
Kevin also uses a Dunlop Bass (why?) Wah, but I don’t think this is used often. I think maybe he uses it on I Only Said, but I’m not sure. (EDIT: Apparently not! kevin uses a strange pedal called the September Sound Envelope Filter Fuzz Wah that looks extremely similar to a bass wah at first glance)
Kevin uses a Digitech Whammy and has had a version of this pedal on his board since the very start. Now it seems he also uses the old-style Whammys, which were very temperamental and glitched often. A Whammy DT, which is the big double-sided thing you see most people use these days, does not have this mode. But the smaller modern Whammy V does have it, as well as the new cleaner mode.
No. 4: Delay/Reverb
YAMAHA SPX900! This is the only reverb Kevin used in the Loveless days, and I bet he still uses it now. It has a reverse reverb mode that is completely unmatched. Kevin usually places this before his grit, and it’s a massive part of his sound.
This is a rack unit, which I know a lot of you aren’t going to be open to, so you can get a pedal version of this. It’s called the Red Panda Context, and it’s also been seen on Kevin’s board, so it’s Kevin-approved. However, I have heard some bad news about this thing, so do some research…
The main thing about this reverse reverb is the ability to have the dry signal mix with the wet. A lot of reverbs don’t have this option and won’t sound like what you want (pun not intended). I can personally vouch for the Zoom reverse reverb. It’s an almost perfect recreation of the Digitech reverse reverb, and importantly, it has a dry switch, which gets you a similar tone to the Yamaha. It’s present in most of the Zoom multi-effect pedals, but if not, you can download it to your Zoom with a computer.
Kevin also uses Boss delay pedals (DD-8? DD-7? DD-3?). Honestly, most of them are perfect. I don’t think they’re major parts of his sound, and God knows where they go in the signal chain, but probably somewhere different from the norm. Digitech delays too.
No. 5: The Annoying Bit
EQing seems to be a major part of Kevin’s sound. Either after or before grit, or even both, he uses them to completely change the sound of a grit pedal. The main takeaway is that he BOOSTS THE MIDS—a lot! From my own experimenting, I don’t think this is used in the amp—that’s pretty flat. It mostly comes from the pedals.
The amps he used are pretty common and straightforward: • Marshall JCM800 Heads • Double Vox AC15s
The annoying part is that, from what I’ve read, mic positioning, room treating, and putting things like blankets over speakers were some of the most heavily experimented-on things during Loveless.
No. 6: The Nice Bit
Do you really need all these pedals? Of course not. That’s only for people who really want to get so close to Kevin’s sound, you might as well go find the man and rob him.
Most of the lead sounds on Loveless, especially on songs like When You Sleep and Soon, are just grit. From what I’ve found, you can get close with any grit pedal in the world if you try hard enough. If I were you and I wanted to spend, say, less than £300, I’d buy: • A Turbo RAT • A Red Panda Context • A Big Muff • An EQ pedal
But if you’re really cheaping out, all of those can be simulated in a Zoom MS pedal.
Importantly, also, is to remind you to experiment heavily. Switch up your signal chain, do weird things with your pedals you wouldn’t usually do, and layer grit pedals.
And for God’s sake, please just buy a Jazzmaster.
09:10 UTC
Finally got my hands on a white whale!
I’ve spent years searching for a UK 🇬🇧 first press of this flawless gem. Living in Southern California, I never thought I’d come across one at a local record store. So, I was shocked to find one reasonably priced in Los Angeles. The moment I saw it on the wall, I didn’t hesitate—I walked right in, inspected the runout matrix, and bought it on the spot.
17:03 UTC
I covered To Here Knows When!
I rewatched the video of Zaphrod1989's To Here Knows When tone tutorial, then applied the same concept onto Ableton's delay plugin :D
15:46 UTC
Kevin’s Gear
does anyone have a snippet of an old magazine featuring some of kevin’s gear (not the japanese one)
02:38 UTC