By Olivia Burns
Canadian Indie Pop band Valley bought their Lost In Translation tour all the way from the other side of the world to Melbourne Australia, performing at Max Watts on the 18th of August. Melbourne local, Shannen James was opening the night with an alternative indie vibe to set the scene for the night.
I already knew their music going into this show, which I believed was quite underground, however… seeing the amount of people that showed up, selling out a decent sized venue for their first time in Australia was more than impressive.
Shannen James, a dynamic presence, not only entertained but also encouraged the audience to partake in a ritual for her shows,a line dance during one of her songs, infusing a sense of enjoyment into the atmosphere. The sea of people moved simultaneously in each direction, a perfect way to warm up the crowd.
The anticipation was in the air as we waited for Valley to grace us with their presence. As soon as the lights went down, cheers started to erupt from the crowd as they made their way on stage, proudly waving the Australian flag before diving into their album’s title track Lost in Translation. Each member, from the keyboardist to the guitarist, the drummer, and the lead singer, brought a great fun energy that harmonised perfectly with their infectious pop melodies.
An aspect of their stage setup I loved was the prominent placement of the drummer, who also played a crucial vocal role in their songs. This positioning allowed the audience to fully appreciate her talent and made her an integral part of the show, rather than being tucked away in the background.
Their setlist was made up of a great range of their older and newer songs, keeping all fans content. In the middle they broke out into a cover of All Star by Smash Mouth, a great classic tune, then onto their song Have A Good Summer(Without Me) which they seamlessly transitioned into Taylor Swift’s You Belong With Me. Playing their encore song Hiccup, they finished it off with a few bows as they were met with screams of admiration from their fans before exiting the stage.
Lost in translation is the groups second album to come out, and off the back of that completing a world tour is most definitely a testament to how much talent they have to create great songs and connect with such a large fanbase in such a short amount of time and definitely left an enduring impression on Melbourne, Australia and we hope to see them back on our shores again soon.
Photo Gallery : Valley – Max Watts (08.18.2023) (Photo Gallery)
