Joey Valence & Brae at Theatre of Living Arts 10/23/2025
by TC Stephens
Ahead of the Hyperyouth tour, Joey Valence & Brae (JVB) shared a set of “tour rules” on their socials. Though short, 3-5 word statements — “no egos allowed,” “dancing is mandatory,” and “live in the moment” among the list — with them, JVB swung big. Beyond getting people to dance at their shows, the Hyperyouth tour aims to inspire a culture shift in the way people engage with live music and each other. No phones, no aura farming, just fun. With “dance or die” as their north star during the Hyperyouth album cycle, their tour was a test to see how well their fans could let go of the nights out they’re used to and give into the groove.
An hour before JVB came on, opener AG Club got the crowd to form a wall of death in less than 5 minutes. Taking the stage in high energy and high fashion, they didn’t let the crowd sit still for a second. Each song had a different piece of crowd work, from classic call-and-response to orchestrating mosh pits. About halfway through their set, AG Club asked the audience if they were ready for JVB, to which they got a chanted “JVB” in response. They ad-libbed to the repetitions, hyping the crowd up to bolster the energy for their next song. Announcing their Irish goodbye two songs before the end of their set to leave on a high, AG Club were a masterclass in how to turn a crowd up.
After checking tickets, the venues on the Hyperyouth tour should have checked each concert-goer’s stamina levels. JVB wanted an all-out dance party, and they got it. Relentless moshing, crowd surfers flying during every song, JVB rapping while running around the stage — the energy couldn’t have been higher. While Hyperyouth is their most dance-centric record, their entire discography fit the tour’s bill. The repeated lyrics in the choruses of “STARTAFIGHT” off PUNK TACTICS and “LIKEAPUNK” off NO HANDS made it easy for the entire crowd to shout along, amping them up even more. Before “PUNK TACTICS,” Brae yelled, “I want to see every crowd surfer up in the air during this song!” With no less than 30 people gliding on top of the crowd during “PUNK TACTICS” alone, everyone got a handful of head, arm, or leg throughout the show.
JVB have no inhibitions when dancing. Elevated on platforms on either side of the stage, they threw their entire bodies into each movement. Joey Valence was especially next-level in letting go, twerking to the best of his ability during “SEE U DANCE” and headbanging to nearly every song. Watching him, you can tell the experience was cathartic. The duo rejects any notions that aging, fame, or any other factor come with a limitation on how much fun they can have. In pushing their performance to the extreme, they’re both embracing themselves and showing their fans that it pays to do so.
Running beneath the show’s focus of dancing and self-expression was a sense of gratitude JVB have for each other and their community of fans. A lot of these sentiments are pretty on the nose — “As long as I’ve got my friends / don’t want this shit to end” are some of the lyrics to “Live Right” — yet as the crowd shouted them with arms waving back and forth, their weight was felt across the venue. For their final song, “Disco Tomorrow,” Brae stood center stage. “I met Joey and I finally found my spark,” he sang, a sentiment so pure and straightforward it nearly moved the whole crowd to tears. It’s a powerful thing to fully embrace yourself, but JVB prove that if you can find someone else who fully embraces you, you’ll be unstoppable.
An hour before JVB came on, opener AG Club got the crowd to form a wall of death in less than 5 minutes. Taking the stage in high energy and high fashion, they didn’t let the crowd sit still for a second. Each song had a different piece of crowd work, from classic call-and-response to orchestrating mosh pits. About halfway through their set, AG Club asked the audience if they were ready for JVB, to which they got a chanted “JVB” in response. They ad-libbed to the repetitions, hyping the crowd up to bolster the energy for their next song. Announcing their Irish goodbye two songs before the end of their set to leave on a high, AG Club were a masterclass in how to turn a crowd up.
After checking tickets, the venues on the Hyperyouth tour should have checked each concert-goer’s stamina levels. JVB wanted an all-out dance party, and they got it. Relentless moshing, crowd surfers flying during every song, JVB rapping while running around the stage — the energy couldn’t have been higher. While Hyperyouth is their most dance-centric record, their entire discography fit the tour’s bill. The repeated lyrics in the choruses of “STARTAFIGHT” off PUNK TACTICS and “LIKEAPUNK” off NO HANDS made it easy for the entire crowd to shout along, amping them up even more. Before “PUNK TACTICS,” Brae yelled, “I want to see every crowd surfer up in the air during this song!” With no less than 30 people gliding on top of the crowd during “PUNK TACTICS” alone, everyone got a handful of head, arm, or leg throughout the show.
JVB have no inhibitions when dancing. Elevated on platforms on either side of the stage, they threw their entire bodies into each movement. Joey Valence was especially next-level in letting go, twerking to the best of his ability during “SEE U DANCE” and headbanging to nearly every song. Watching him, you can tell the experience was cathartic. The duo rejects any notions that aging, fame, or any other factor come with a limitation on how much fun they can have. In pushing their performance to the extreme, they’re both embracing themselves and showing their fans that it pays to do so.
Running beneath the show’s focus of dancing and self-expression was a sense of gratitude JVB have for each other and their community of fans. A lot of these sentiments are pretty on the nose — “As long as I’ve got my friends / don’t want this shit to end” are some of the lyrics to “Live Right” — yet as the crowd shouted them with arms waving back and forth, their weight was felt across the venue. For their final song, “Disco Tomorrow,” Brae stood center stage. “I met Joey and I finally found my spark,” he sang, a sentiment so pure and straightforward it nearly moved the whole crowd to tears. It’s a powerful thing to fully embrace yourself, but JVB prove that if you can find someone else who fully embraces you, you’ll be unstoppable.
