Valley at Max Watts
On a cold Friday night in Melbourne, we headed down to Max Watts to catch Canadian indie-pop band Valley, along with support act Shannen James, for their Lost in Translation Tour. In a packed-out all ages show, we couldn’t wait to see Valley on their first Australia tour and first official shows in Melbourne.
First up was Melbourne singer-songwriter Shannen James. As one of our favourite up-and-coming acts, we’ve been obsessed since her 2020 EP Arrows was released, and relish the opportunity to catch her and the band once again. Highlights from the support set included opening song Seventeen, her newest release Headlights, the line dancing traditions during Breakfast With You, and her set closers with throwback to Arrows and the catchiest tune you’ll have in your head for days – Superstitious. We can’t wait to catch Shannen again soon.
Before long, the moment had arrived when Valley would take to the stage. Lead vocalist Rob Laska was joined by guitarist Michael Brandolino, bassist Alex Dimauro and drummer Karah James. Celebrating their latest release Lost in Translation, the set featured a heavy amount of new tracks, as well as a mix from Last Birthday, Maybe and EP sucks to see you doing better. Walking onstage with an Australian flag and a toy koala in tow, the band wasted no time launching into the album title track Lost in Translation, as well as crowd favourites Throwback Tears and Cure. The whole night was a feel good sing-a-long with huge cheers for There’s Still a Light in the House, sucks to see you doing better and strong crowd participation (with yelp reviews from the band) for Oh Shit… are we in love?
Jumping up and down to nevermind, the set peaked during our favourites from their latest release with Natural and Break for You. Taking time to address their adoring fans, Rob told the audience it’s was the most nerve-wracked they’ve ever been – and that they were amazed to see so many people heading to their shows. Apologising for taking so long to get to Autstralia, the band continued on with Good, but not together, A Phone Call in Amsterdam, and The Problem Song. Moving into a song about being ‘really, really sad’, Evenings & Weekends showcased the ‘sad boi pop’ that Valley do all too well. The next part of the set shifted to party mode for Either Way, I’m Going Your Way, Sports Car and SOCIETY – with an impromptu cover of Smash Mouth’s All Star.
The evening came to a close with Have a Good Summer (Without Me), the band’s most popular track to date with Like 1999 and an encore of hiccup. The concert closed out with comments thanking the audience, for being at the show, for connecting with their songs. In a heartfelt moment, Rob told the crowd, ‘I figured out this thing with my best friends and it happened to work. Promise you will just try, it will happen and you will be so fine’. As the last night of the tour ends, and jokes are made about already looking for Australian real estate, we hope that Valley head back to our shores soon.