Concert Review: Joey Valence & Brae

Powerstation, Auckland | April 9, 2026

There’s something defiant about a room full of people refusing to act their age, and on a Thursday night at Auckland’s Powerstation, that defiance felt like the whole point.

Before the Pennsylvania duo even took the stage, the crowd had already been warmed up the right way. Local Auckland rap duo Church and AP opened up the show with easy confidence that comes from performing for a home crowd who already know the words. Their set was sharp, high-energy, and a smart fit for the night, blending flavour with the same boom-bap spirit that JVB have built their name on. If you didn’t know them before walking in, you were reaching for your phone to look them up by the time they walked off. The line “Chase the cheese like Geronimo Stilton” may also very well be one of my favorite lines ever.

By the time Joey Valence & Brae hit the stage, hyped up by producer DJ Ewook to the title track Hyperyouth, unfortunately, without the horned disco ball, the Powerstation was ready to explode. And explode it did.

The duo wasted absolutely zero time. From the jump, the energy was relentless: a blur of crowd interaction, sweat, and infectious rap chaos. They leaned heavily on HYPERYOUTH, their latest record, and it translated live with gigantic force. They turned the venue into a full club. Tracks that already felt big on record somehow felt even bigger bouncing off the walls of a soldout Auckland venue. When they pivoted back to NO HANDS, the reaction was seismic. “LIKE A PUNK” hit like a freight train. “THE BADDEST”, saved for the encore sent the room into full delirium.

What separates JVB from so many of their peers is that they actually perform. This isn’t a laptop-and-a-mic operation. Joey and Brae work the stage like they have something to prove, feeding off the crowd and giving it straight back. Between songs, they hollered at the audience to hug their friends, asked who was sweating, and make new friends.

Auckland got a hell of a show. And if Church and AP are any indication, the local scene is more than ready to hold its own alongside it.