Last Tuesday, Theatre of Living Arts in Philadelphia was filled with energy and adoring fans for Valley’s Lost In Translation tour. This show was the fourth stop on the North American leg of Valley’s tour, and the performance was nothing short of magnificent. Valley is known for their live performances, and their dazzling musicality and energy captured the euphoric state of the audience throughout the set. Aidan Bissett will be joining the band for the majority of this tour leg, and his opening set at Theatre of Living Arts was just as epic and energetic as the one that followed.
Valley first gained attention back in 2016 with their self-written and produced EP This Room Is White, which amassed over 10 million streams. Composed of Rob Laska (vocals), Michael Brandolino (guitar), Alex Dimauro (bass) and Karah James (drums), the band was originally formed from two groups who were accidentally double-booked for studio time who seized an opportunity to make music together. Recently, Valley has released the first singles off of their upcoming album Lost in Translation, and the group defines their newest sound revisions as utterly contemporary and sophisticated, but also, in all the right ways, a little bit throwback.
At 8pm, the show started off with excitement as Aidan Bissett took the stage. Aidan’s set contained many of his previous songs as well as covers and a few unreleased tunes. The charming young artist engaged the audience with his genuine attitude and elevated performance throughout his set. One of the crowd favorites of the night was “I Can't Be
Your Friend,” which was written with members of the pop-rock band Coin. Aidan’s set continued with a cover of “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon, which drove the crowd’s excitement through the roof. The singer blessed the audience with several unreleased tracks as well, showing off some of his more intimate songwriting. While the set was high energy and fast paced, Aidan did not sacrifice making a connection with his audience. At every chance, he made efforts to check in and start conversations with fans, and his approachable and endearing personality made the whole audience fall in love with him.
After the opening set came to a close, the audience was buzzing with excitement to see Valley take the stage. The Toronto-bred quartet soon stormed into the spotlight, electrifying the audience with “There’s Still a Light in The House” off of their 2019 album Maybe. The retro stage decor and vibrant lighting effects curated an immersive setting for their set. This tour is leading up to the release of their heavily anticipated sophomore album Lost in Translation set to release June 23rd, and their set featured a lot of new music that is to come from the upcoming release, including the title track “Lost in Translation”
About their upcoming album, Valley says,
“MAYBE will always be our teenage diary, our coming-of-age story, our first love and first record. Lost In Translation is those same best friends navigating their mid 20s and questioning ‘what now?…what really matters to us?’ and what might’ve been lost along the way. Between MAYBE and now, we’ve done more soul searching together than ever. We’ve traveled the world, we’ve accomplished a lot we never thought was possible. We’ve followed every single path to get nowhere and everywhere. It’s a very caught in a thought and seeking album. It poses more questions than answers. It’s honest, it’s confusing, it’s pop, it’s nostalgic, it’s black and white, it's colorful, it’s unpredictable, it’s simple, it’s Valley, Lost In Translation.”
One of the biggest highlights of the show is when drummer Karah James joined Rob up front to sing “Champagne,” and the crowd was overjoyed to see this iconic duet live. The band then slowed down the energy a bit and performed the chill fan favorites “Oh sit…are we in love?” and “Last Birthday.” The band's performance of “Break For You” drove the whole audience to dance along with the driving synths in this high energy song, and the anthemic tune “SOCIETY” from their 2021 release had fans chanting along to the relatable lyrics. Finally, Valley paraded around the venue playing their 2021 hit “Like 1999,” closing out their set with a song that every person at the show was able to sing along to.
The loving relationship that Valley has with its dedicated fanbase shines through significantly in their live sets. Valley’s music manages to capture all the euphoria and stress that comes with entering adulthood with the utmost accuracy, and their audience relates deeply to the themes that each song presents. There is a large amount of trust that the band and audience hold between each other, and that vulnerability created a beautiful environment inside of Theatre of Living Arts that evening.
Buy Tickets to the Lost In Translation tour HERE.
“Lost In Translation” 2023 Tour Dates:
April 13 – Montreal, QC @ Petit Campus^+ April 14 – Ottawa, ON @The Bronson^+ April 15 – Toronto, ON @ The Danforth^+ April 25 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of The Living Arts* April 26 – Boston, MA @ Big Night Live* April 28 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza* April 30 – Washington, DC @ The Fillmore* May 02 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground* May 03 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl* May 05 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre* May 06 – Orlando, FL @ The Beacham* May 07 - Ft Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution Live* May 09 – Birmingham, AL @ Zydeco* May 11 – Houston, TX @ House Of Blues* May 12 – Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues* May 13 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s* May 18 – Los Angeles, CA @ Regent Theater* May 20 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore* May 22 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theatre* May 23 – Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre^* May 24 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre* May 26 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex* May 27 – Denver, CO @ Summit* May 30 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater* May 31 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues June 02 – Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall* June 03 – Columbus, OH @ The Bluestone* ^w/ Devon Cole *w/ Aidan Bissett
Make sure to follow Valley and Aidan Bissett on socials linked below:
Valley:
Aidan: