Melissa Wood | 9 Oct, 2024
On Saturday, September 28, Candian indie pop group Valley kicked off their Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden Tour at Union Transfer in the heart of Philly!
From their trance-inducing musicality to their catchy lyrics, Valley has been the band that keeps giving since 2015, with the release of their EP Car Test, all the way up to their most recent studio album, Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden. I did not start listening to Valley until around 2021, during the midst of the pandemic, when they released their sophomore album, Last Birthday. From the moment Spotify smart shuffled “Like 1999” onto my phone, it was love at first listen. Naturally, this led to me taking up press for this concert, and let me tell you now, they did not disappoint.
Warming Up with Charli Adams and Mickey Darling
The first opener was Charli Adams, an upcoming indie-pop singer-songwriter from Tennessee. One thing that caught my attention with her act was that she paid extensive attention to detail when setting the mood for every song she played. I kid you not when I tell you this woman brought multiple guitars on stage and practically switched between them for almost every song, which in my opinion, showed a level of dedication that was downright refreshing. In addition, her singing made it apparent that she was masterful at vocal flipping. That, along with her captivating storytelling put the crowd in a chokehold for her entire set. Her setlist was comprised mainly of songs that emitted a mellow and calming vibe, including a slower rendition of Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle.” My favorite moment of her performance was when she played “Cheer Captain,” an original wrought with the struggles of being a people pleaser. One comment on this song from my notes app read “These lyrics are tearing my heart into ruins… someone please send help.”
The next opener was the bedroom pop duo and self-proclaimed “sexiest boy band” Mickey Darling. Honestly, this band took me by surprise, and I felt honored to have my first time listening to their music through a live performance. Their performance was nothing short of upbeat and lively due to the constant jumping and dancing of the lead singer Skylar Molina. Additionally, their music is totally something I can see myself getting more into. With noticeably darker lyrics at times mixed with a more aged sound, it’s no wonder this duo has found considerable success. A definite highlight of their setlist was the performance of their 2019 single “Reverse Cowgirl.”
A Garden Party in the Valley
Since this concert was part of a tour to celebrate the release of Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden, the band took the audience through every song from that album, save for “I Didn’t Even Ask For This.” The intro for this song did, however, make a cheeky cameo at the beginning of the concert as the band was making their way onto the stage quaintly decorated with a floor patch mimicking grass and flower clusters planted throughout.
Appropriately enough, Valley’s setlist started out with “Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden.” To provide some pretext, shortly before the doors opened for the show, one fan in line was passing out premade paper flowers to everyone in an attempt to turn the crowd into a makeshift garden for when this song played. So, naturally, when it did, the crowd resembled a meadow of swaying flowers, which was so cool to witness. Valley then hit us all with the HAGS, this is “Have a Good Summer (Without Me),” and “Base Player’s Brother,” a personal favorite of mine off their new album.
Other highlights from this album included an intimate moment where drummer Karah James spoke with the audience about the band’s experience with navigating one of life’s most consistent constants: change just before they sang “Let It Rain,” which also had one of the best live instrumental performances I’ve heard in a long while and a powerful and lively performance of “When You Know Someone.”
Of course, Valley also served the crowd some older throwbacks to supplement the show. Among these were “A Phone Call in Amsterdam,” “sucks to see you’re doing better,” “Swim,” “Closer to the Picture,” and “There’s Still a Light in the House,” and the two I was most excited to hear live “hiccup,” and “Break For You.”
To be transparent, before attending this concert, I wasn’t the biggest fan of WTFPFAG, but I was enough of a fan to cover the tour anyway. This concert definitely gave me a newfound appreciation for it, especially since the slower songs from the album were given heavier instrumentals, which instantly turned their softer tunes into more rock-lined melodies more appropriate for live shows. All in all, in terms of the song line-up, I was appeased, maybe except that I did not get to hear “CHAMPANGE,” but I guess that’s how the wine flows sometimes.