Brooklyn Steel was buzzing long before Joey Valence & Brae hit the stage on February 24th. New Yorkers had just dug themselves out from the city’s biggest snowstorm in years — a blizzard intense enough to cancel the duo’s Boston show the night before — but the Hooligang still showed up in force. Bad weather is nothing new for this crowd; the last time JVB played New York, fans danced through a full-on downpour in Central Park, ponchos and all.
Inside the venue, the energy felt less like a concert and more like a gathering of a community that JVB built from scratch. Fans — proudly calling themselves the Hooligang — arrived in outfits that were loud, weird, expressive, and entirely their own. That’s the point. Joey Valence & Brae have always encouraged people to show up as themselves, and the crowd reflected that.
In just four years, the Pennsylvania-based pair — Joseph Bertolino (Joey Valence) and Braedan Lugue (Brae) — have carved out one of the most distinctive lanes in alt‑hip‑hop. They first broke through in 2022 with “Punk Tactics,” a boom‑bap‑meets‑punk burst of nostalgia that spread across TikTok and streaming platforms, introducing their throwback-meets-Gen‑Z sound to a global audience. Since then, their rise has been fast and fiercely independent. They’ve toured with Sum 41 and The Interrupters, played major festivals like Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, and The Governors Ball, and released three albums — all while writing and recording from Joey’s bedroom studio, which remains their creative hub.
This show marked an early stop on the Monster Energy Outbreak US Tour, an 18‑date run hitting major cities including Atlanta, Nashville, DC, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and more In support of their latest album HYPERYOUTH. Afterward, they’ll take HYPERYOUTH international, with dates across Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the UK.
The tour comes with its own set of rules — and the crowd followed them to the letter:
When we spoke to the duo about HYPERYOUTH last August, they described the album as a genre-blending celebration, pulling inspiration from artists like Daft Punk, MGMT, Skrillex, Lady Gaga, and Timbaland. That intention carried into the live show. The setlist leaned heavily into HYPERYOUTH tracks — explosive, sample-heavy cuts like the title track, the glittery Rebecca Black-assisted “SEE U DANCE,” the JPEGMAFIA collaboration “WASSUP,” and the hard-hitting “BUST DOWN” featuring TiaCorine. A mid-set “LIVE RIGHT” landed as a bittersweet anthem about growing up while holding onto the spark of youth — a theme that threads through the entire album cycle. Even the softer moments, like the beautiful closer “DISCO TOMORROW,” felt designed for a crowd to sway together.
What stood out most was how present everyone was. In an era where phones are ever present, this crowd barely recorded. People danced, shouted lyrics, and lived in the moment — a rarity at shows today, and a testament to the duo’s pull.
In four short years, Joey Valence & Brae have become one of the most exciting live acts in alt‑hip‑hop — not because of spectacle or production, but because of connection. Their shows feel like a celebration of individuality, nostalgia, and fun. With HYPERYOUTH (and its deluxe edition arriving 2/26) — adding six new tracks to an already explosive world — the duo is stepping into their boldest chapter yet. If Brooklyn was any indication, the Hooligang is more than ready.
