Valley and Catie Turner at The Troubadour

I’ve been to my fair share of indie-rock shows. I’ve seen countless amazing performances from countless bands whose names I, honestly, can’t seem to remember. However, I know that I will never forget the names of Catie Turner and Valley after their sold-out show at The Troubadour on March 3rd..

Opener Catie Turner came bouncing out towards center stage, her curly pigtails seemingly dancing along with her movement. She had the biggest, goofiest grin on her face that just exuded childlike excitement. Catie was also wearing this adorable knit sweater featuring a teddy bear wearing a red tie. She was just the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. You could see in her eyes what being at the Troubadour with all of us meant to her. You could see her dreams coming true in real-time. I felt the overwhelming desire to give her a huge teddy-bear hug to congratulate her. Her demeanor was just that warm and welcoming.

For someone who has such a cuddly and sweet appearance, her voice could pack a punch. Catie has a deep, powerful rasp that overflows with passion. Every note she sang had such strong emotion it was overwhelming. Especially during her song “God Must Hate Me,” I could hear her pain and struggle in the beautiful cracks in her voice. I actually found myself tearing up - something that NEVER happens to me, especially when listening to a song and artist for the very first time. Catie Turner just has that much power.

But Catie brings more than just the feels. Catie brought the fun. Most of the songs in her set were highly danceable, charmingly clever, and deeply relatable. She even did a cover of “Adore You” while holding up a cardboard cutout of Harry Styles himself. My personal favorite of the night, however, was Turner’s unreleased tongue-and-cheek song about getting over a breakup by screwing her heart-breaker’s dad and becoming his stepmom. Despite the utter ridiculousness of the song, it was surprisingly poignant. Her performance, of course, was absolutely stellar. The second she completed her set, I immediately followed her on Spotify and added all my faves of the night to my primary playlist.

I was honestly curious to see how the main act was supposed to follow Catie’s brilliant performance. As far as I was concerned, the night was already won. But that was before I noticed that Valley had brought their own lighting rigs and backdrops. They had the set up for a stadium tour at a mere 200-cap LA club. Turns out, they had the performance to match.

Before even walking out on stage, the band had the sound guy put on Foundations of Wayne’s infamous classic “Stacy’s Mom” at full-blast. The entire crowd was jumping and singing along and were completely energized by the time Valley came charging onto the stage. The crowd was chanting their name as they got settled. And then, with a great boom, drummer Karah James launched the performance.

There is no better word to describe Valley’s performance style than electric. Every chord, note, and beat was played at the highest voltage. You could almost feel the shockwaves move through the crowd as the audience began to scream-sing and dance along with the group. During this first song, I saw friends turn to friends with looks of pure excitement and smiles stretched across their faces that read “We made it! We finally made it!”

I was particularly struck by the musicianship each member displayed. Lead singer and guitarist Rob Laska had the perfect indie-rocker belt. His guitar skills were also completely out of this world, shining particularly strongly during the more acoustic moments. One of my favorite parts of the night was at the end of one of their songs, the rest of the band went silent and the only sound came from Laska’s voice and guitar. His voice was so pure and enchanting, that all chatter, singing, and movement ceased - as if the entire theatre was holding their breath. Literally, the only other sound that could be heard alongside Laska’s playing was the faint hum of the air conditioner. Laska had the entire Troubadour under his mythic spell. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

The other members had the same sort of power. Drummer and vocalist Karah James played every beat with exquisite timing and passion. Even while playing some of the most complex patterns, she was able to deliver a flawless vocal performance. Alex Dimauro brought the heat on keys and bass. Mickey Brandolino played seemingly every instrument known to man in just one set. He was on keys, guitar, drumset, and lead vocals throughout at different points of the night, playing each one with the prowess of a true virtuoso.

One of the final moments I was able to catch was Laska’s recounting of the group’s first time in LA. He noted how the band used to “walk up and down the street right out f*cking there and just ask [themselves] how [they’re] gonna make this work. And now [they] just sold out the f*cking Troubadour.” They then went into one of their earliest tracks, “You.” The entire audience knew every word and sang along with their whole chest. I even saw some girls in the crowd with tears in their eyes as the gravity of the moment sunk in. I felt like I had witnessed a true moment in history.