A Valley show has become somewhat of a yearly tradition for me ever since I started attending college in Boston. I saw them in 2022 at The Sinclair in Cambridge and again in 2023 at Boston’s Big Night Live. Their show in 2022 was actually the first show I ever officially photographed of a band that I had been listening to for a long time, so to be able to watch them grow year after year has been such a special experience. And although I’ve now graduated, I still was excited to hear I would be attending and photographing their show this past weekend at Boston’s House of Blues.
The band is currently on tour in support of their new album Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden, released nearly exactly a month ago at the end of August. Fans got to hear a generous portion of songs off the new record, as well as some throwbacks for fans who had been listening to them since they released some of their first material. Boston was just the second stop on the tour that will last a bit over two months. See the dates here!
Valley’s set opened with an explosive performance of the album’s title track, followed by “Have a Good Summer (Without Me)” and “Bass Player’s Brother,” also off the new record. Their stage setup channeled the flowery theme the group has been going for this era, with grass and flowers lining the stage floor. Lead singer Rob Laska donned his staple glasses and baseball cap alongside drummer and vocalist Karah James and bassist Alex Dimauro. The trio performed a couple more new songs before throwing it back to some staples like “A Phone Call in Amsterdam,” “sucks to see you doing better,” and “Swim.” Laska was then asked by a fan in the front row if he could take their BeReal, to which he happily obliged after receiving permission in the form of applause from the rest of the audience.
For the next song, the audience was given a choice between some of the band’s older songs. “Sports Car” was initially voted on, but James wasn’t a huge fan of the choice. All was good though when the crowd settled on “Namedropper.” Laska also took the time to comment on the strong sports culture in the US, and especially Boston. Being from Toronto, he said that sports aren’t as integrated into society as they are here, specifically pointing out the t-shirt vendors and hot dog stands you’ll see just outside of the venue at the adjacent Fenway Park. The whole group had very kind words for Boston throughout the night and seemed happy to be back out on tour.
This past year hasn’t been the easiest for Valley, as Karah James talked about as she came forward from her place at the drums to play guitar and vocals for the next song, “Let It Rain.” The group went through a band member leaving as well as some personal losses, but they’ve bounced back and are visibly grateful for the fans who have stuck with them over the years. “Let It Rain” is about accepting whatever life throws at you. As the lyrics say: “Sometimes it’s gonna rain / Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain.”
The set wrapped up with a performance of the group’s hit “There’s Still a Light in the House” along with “Bop Ba.” Another year, another Valley show – here’s to many more!
