Joey Valence & Brae are heading to Australia and New Zealand for the first time next month, playing Laneway as well as shows in Sydney and Melbourne.
Laneway organisers tapped them as one of the breakout acts of last year, and the expectations are high for these DIY hitmakers in 2025. The Pennsylvania duo blend ’90s hip-hop and punk with pop culture punch and high energy.
They’ll be promoting their second album, NO HANDS, which featured Ayesha Erotica, Terror Reid, and more. Tracks like “PUNK TACTIC”, “HOOLIGAN”, and their cover of Charli XCX’s “365” will definitely get the crowd hyped at Laneway and beyond.
We caught up with the duo ahead of their Down Under debut to chat mosh pit etiquette, their Laneway debut, Lord of the Rings, and more.
Joey Valence & Brae will be playing in Sydney on Monday, February 10th, and Melbourne on Wednesday, February 12th. Tickets are available via Handsome Tours, plus you can find their Laneway dates, tickets, and more info at Laneway Festival.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ: Where are you guys right now?
Brae: Pennsylvania. It’s literally like negative 1°C.
RS: Looking forward to Laneway?
Brae: We can’t wait! First time in Australia, super stoked. It’s gonna be sick.
RS: You’re also heading to New Zealand. Will you get time to explore?
Joey: Yeah, we’ve got a couple of days off throughout the tour, so we’ll definitely check out some sights. We really want to go do the Lord of the Rings tour in New Zealand.
RS: Have you had fans reaching out from Down Under asking you to come over?
Brae: Yeah, we’ve had heaps of requests to come to Australia even before Laneway was announced. It’s gonna be wild to see everyone turn up!
RS: What can fans expect from your shows?
Joey: Mosh pits. It’s just chaos and fun. We like to have a party.
RS: Mosh pit etiquette, then?
Joey: Not really, our pits are nice. Like, everyone’s just jumping and bumping into each other and having a good time. They’re not crazy hardcore, like punk pits. I feel like with younger people now everyone’s your friend and [they’re] helping people up if they end up falling. Just grab your best friend and jump up and down and run into people.
RS: Anyone you’re excited to see on the Laneway lineup?
Joey: Our answer is 2hollis. We want to see to see him really bad. He’s fucking awesome. But also, Charli [XCX}, Clairo… it’s all stacked. I saw all the comments of people complaining that there were so many overlaps because they booked like so many good artists this year.
Brae: But it’s cool, though, because the two big stages are right next to each other, so it doesn’t really matter.
RS: How was your recent Europe tour?
Brae: It was good. The Europe tour was crazy. We have a pretty big fanbase in London. We sold out every single city and those shows were off the wall.
RS: And your second album is out now. How’s it been taking it on the road?
Joey: It was awesome. We didn’t expect people to like the album at all, and they did. People just going fucking nuts is always appreciated.
RS: Live shows seem to be central to your music. Growing up, were there any artists or bands that inspired you?
Brae: It’s funny, until we started making music together I didn’t go to like live shows ever, especially when I was younger. I went to, like, one concert when I was a teenager, and saw Jay-Z live one time when I was, I think, 16.
Joey: I used to go to Warped Tour growing up, and got introduced to post-hardcore and dumb metal music. I was like, wow, pits are super fun and everything. But I was the same way. I was super into EDM and you couldn’t go to EDM shows unless you were 21 so I could never go see the artists I wanted to see. So it wasn’t really until I turned 21 and that was right when COVID hit. So we had to wait even longer.
We’re stoked to be playing festivals because we just didn’t grow up seeing a lot of people.
RS: Are you working on new music?
Joey: We’re working on the third album, so we’re stoked. It’s exciting. I don’t want to spoil anything, though.
RS: What’s your collaborative process like?
Joey: We’ll just send stuff back and forth, and then when we’re excited about something, we’ll come over and work on it here. Literally no studios are involved. I feel like it’s kind of a waste of money, because all you really need is a microphone and speakers and a laptop, and you can make whatever kind of music you want to. Plus it’s all self-produced and self-written. We’re not relying on anybody else to make the music for us, we kind of just hang out and do whatever. It’s fun.
RS: Any favourite Australian or New Zealand artists?
Joey: I know a few Aussie EDM artists, like Dom Dolla, Alison Wonderland, and Flume. But I’m excited to check out the local talent at Laneway.
