Live Review: Valeras – Wedgewood Rooms
I recently read Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis saying she’s struggling to find women to headline the festival. Well, with Valeras there’s 3 of them right here, ready and waiting. OK, they may not be headlining the Glastonbury main stage quite yet, but that’s not the point. Neither, of course, should it matter what gender they are, so just for the record, there are a couple of lads in Valeras too.
However, along with the likes of Yassassin, Goat Girl and Dream Wife, there’s a whole generation of upcoming female fronted bands. So take note Emily Eavis, there’s plenty of young talent out there.
Currently wrapping up their support slot on tour with Drenge, Valeras already have a handful of festivals slots booked of their own. Plus I’m sure it won’t be long until we see them back in Portsmouth, hopefully topping the bill.
However, supporting Drenge at the Wedgewood rooms, Valeras were the only other act of the night and on at the reasonable time of 8pm. Given the night was pretty much sold out, I was oblivious to how busy the venue was getting during their set. Largely due to what was an encaptivating performance.
Valeras – Wedgewood Rooms
Live at the Wedgewood Rooms
There’s a cool groove about Valeras, yet they’ve still got an air of garage rock and roll about them. Tracks such as “Ricochet (Nunca Morira)” are instantly catchy, while “Colour Me” and “Intentions” have a touch of soulful RnB. Visually the band like to rock out, guitar solos fed through a wash of effects, while hair flies back and forth.
Having 3 guitarists in the band made way for a wall of sound as and when needed, full on indie-rock mixed with a bit of shoegaze. These guys n girls certainly know how to play, dipping in and out of the music accordingly. At times recognising the 3rd guitar may only need to kick in part way through a tune.
This, in part, is probably what makes Valeras an intriguing band to keep an eye out for. I can only imagine they’re likely to grow into bigger things, after all, there’s plenty of room to manoeuvre. Plus of course, providing they don’t get disillusioned by the music industry, they still have youth on their side.
So as the sophisticated “Playing with a Gun” continued to showcase a band with added depth, the set ended in a fitting barrage of noise. They may not have been smashing things up, but Valeras at the Wedgewood rooms certainly made a great impression.
Valeras – Wedgewood Rooms
