Valley Live in Manchester

Words & Photography: Alisha Lawton

On another cold windy Sunday night in January, Dizzy Magazine went to see Valley at a sold out Academy 3 in Manchester, after them having to upgrade the venue from Night and Day, due to demand. 

The opener to the show was Beaux. When performing, he stated that he hasn’t played shows since 2023, and that he was very grateful to be opening for Valley. He also went on to say that if the guitar playing was bad it was because he cut open his hand making flapjacks before the tour, and that he is usually brilliant which got a laugh from the audience. His set was upbeat and enjoyable for the audience. He also mentioned that the shows on this tour were sold out before he was announced to be supporting, so he wasn't expecting people in the crowd to know his music. When talking about this, he said that Valley had given him two tickets to give out to his fans, and the ones that were in the audience for this particular show ‘saved his career’ as they supported him, streamed his music and shared it throughout the year of him not playing shows. 

Before the show, the speakers played out bands like The 1975, The Japanese House and Wallows, which the crowd loved, singing along to the songs, which created a great space for the band to enter. 

Canadian band, Valley, started the show with a bang and introduced themselves to the Manchester audience, welcoming them to the Water The Flowers, Pray For A Garden Tour, while playing the song that is the title track of their newest album and the current tour. The lead singer, Rob, stated that they have toured all over the world but never seemed to make it over to the UK, so they were grateful to the audience for waiting so long for them to come over. A Little More was the 4th song that the band played, which the lead singer said was about the band falling back in love together. This got a lovely reaction from the audience, where they sang along to every word, proving to the Canadian band that they need to come back to the city more often. 

Throughout the venue, there were fans throwing their arms in the air and dancing to the music, showing that they were having a great time, making them feel more than welcome. The band's feel-good melodies ran through the venue, which radiated onto everyone in the room. The dark and moody stage lighting did not match the sound of the music being played out, however, it did match the lyrical tone, where they used bright guitar tones and upbeat tempos to mask the sad nature of the lyrics. When playing a song called Boys and Girls of 2018 and Everything in Between, this was made prevalent from the lyrics, ‘Talk about death but it's still not over’ and ‘Another generation dying’. 

Later in the set, Rob stated that he wrote the following song, Sucks To See You Doing Better, when he was working at Starbucks, and he never thought that he would be playing it to a sold out crowd in Manchester. A few songs late,r the band's drummer, Karah, came to the front of the stage, grabbed a guitar, and stated to the audience that the band will definitely be coming back to Manchester. This statement earned a cheer from the crowd. In the song Mosquito, Karah took a front seat and continued to sing harmonies with the lead singer, displaying their beautiful voices. Halfway through the song, she swapped from an acoustic to electric guitar, at which the crowd cheered. During a performance full of energy, the lead singer, Rob, jumped onto the drum kit, continuing to play the track perfectly. 

Overall, the show was electric. With a crowd full of admiration for the Canadian band, it is clear that the band are only on an upwards streak, getting better and better as they grow, with their new album putting in a mark for them. 

Listen to Valley's new album here.