Joey Valence and Brae at Brighton Music Hall
By Deyra Aguilar ‘24
Image courtesy of Getty Images
How does one describe Joey Valence and Brae? When asked for a description of the duo after I invited them to the concert, I was left blank. I eventually responded, “It’s like if the Beastie Boys had the internet.” Yes, I realize the Beastie Boys aren’t that old, but I meant it as if they didn’t grow up with the internet in the way Gen-Z has grown up with the internet. I want to think this statement is accurate.
JVB performed at the Brighton Music Hall on May 16th, a last-minute Boston stop on their 2023 tour. I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily a hardcore fan, but I have been a fan for about a year. So when I saw this tour date pop up, I immediately looked for someone to go with.
A little background on the artists: Joey Valence and Brae is a hip-hop duo that met as freshmen while attending Penn State. Their music is clearly influenced by 90’s hip-hop, especially by the aforementioned Beastie Boys. But besides that, they make heavy references to pop culture whether it be Star Wars, Mortal Kombat, anime, or video games. As of now, they haven’t released an album; instead, the fans are enjoying a series of singles. While their music-making career might've begun as two friends goofing around in their college dorm, it truly has taken off and turned into something fun and exciting in the hip-hop genre.
The openers for the main event were another hip-hop group, Awfbeat, and who I’m assuming was their touring DJ. The DJ did a great job of working up the crowd with the exception of the occasional XXXTentacion song in the set—but maybe that’s just me. Don’t worry though, they made up for it by including “Party in the USA!” Awfbeat was also pretty fun, and I especially liked one of the member’s soulful singing and trumpet playing. Definitely worth a quick listen.
Now, as I go into my review of the performance itself, I would like to note that I don't recall the entire setlist. And as Bella said, “Man, this would be so much better if we had the setlist.” So let's just go with the first song I remember: “Double-Jump.” This was a great opening choice because it really set up the rest of the night. It’s very high-energy and showcases the lyricism that JVB is known for. And as the song title says, it got the crowd jumping and hyped.
Their next song was “Underground Sound,” a piece that references JVB’s “old-school style” and their position within the underground hip-hop scene. Joey ends the song with the line “So call up the 90s and give 'em a ring, tell 'em they might just have the next big thing.” I’m impartial in thinking he’s right. And like I said before, a few songs got lost here and there, so from now on I’m just writing about what I can recall. Moving to “Startafight,” I have mixed emotions about hearing it in person. It’s the type of song that starts a mosh pit, which is exactly what happened. As someone who doesn’t really care for mosh pits, I somehow managed to hit my lip against my teeth, which resulted in some small cuts. Again, mixed emotions.
JVB ended their set with what I would call their most popular song: “Punk Tactics.” It was truly everything I hoped for. When I tell people to listen to JVB, I usually suggest this song because it’s just everything that all the other songs are, but all in one. It’s catchy, it’s energetic, it’s witty, and it’s just so well made—a great way to end the show.
However, what makes hearing most of these songs a great experience is JVB’s infectious performance style. You can really tell these guys are having fun and love what they do. The way they dance with each other and interact with the crowd makes it all worthwhile, including lip injuries. They signed autographs on stage and at one point had a worm-off all while Brae was beatboxing. While they called themselves “two losers,'' I'm pretty sure most of their fanbase would disagree and call them some of the best performers today. And even if you think JVB aren’t the best performers, they are at least two dudes you’d want to hang out with.
