Words by Conor Riley.
Photographs by Justin Fulton.
While the rain was tearing it up outside, the heat was on last night inside Cameo Gallery during Chad Valley’s set for the Cascine & Newtown Radio showcase at Northside Festival. We arrived around 11:30 as opener Kisses were finishing up their set. Their playful indie pop sounds had people moving, but when Chad Valley took the stage a little after midnight, it was clear that the crowd was there for him. While we are familiar with Chad’s recordings – he’s an OAK Spring Anthem alumni, after all – we were not prepared for the powerhouse live performer we saw on stage last night. One thing that became abundantly clear almost immediately is that this man can sing anything. The fact that he chose to create beat-driven love songs, with a tinge of late-80s R&B (complete with echoed vocals and saxophone samples) makes us appreciate his talent that much more. Even during slow-jam “Evening Surrender” Chad was singing to the back of the house, his soaring vocals bouncing off a captivated crowd, comprised of a surprisingly large amount of CV fangirls (we spotted a group of girls near the stage taking turns having their photo taken in front of the musician during his set). “I’m right off the plane,” Chad announced half-way through his set to an exceptionally warm and lively late-crowd. “…From Newark. I went to the wrong airport.” We’re certainly happy he made it to Brooklyn.
