Rumor has it that Phoenix knows how to move- and New Hope Club put us to the test on Monday night. The British trio took over Valley Bar for a dance party like no other with an adoring crowd of fans.
After going viral on TikTok, Vaultboy took his set out of the virtual world and into the Arizona basement venue. He was taken aback by the presence of his parents and grandparents- who’d flown out from Florida to surprise him- and put even more energy into his short but sweet set.
Describing his sound as sad but vibey, Valley Bar got a little bit of everything on “Rocket Science” and “I Think I Wanna Text U”. Naturally the set ended with his jokey viral hit “Everything Sucks”- but not really since we had so much fun.
Arizona has been waiting a long time for New Hope Club and the band felt the same way as they expressed deep gratitude for the turnout on a Monday night. The trio shares instrumental and vocal duties throughout their songs so everyone got their chance to bathe in the spotlight and the screams of the fans.
With 16 songs on the setlist, NHC visited every era of their time as a band- with plenty of new music thrown into the mix. “Medicine” got the party started and the band fully encouraged everyone to get up and dance like they didn’t have work in the morning.
George, Blake and Reece are all incredibly talented, complementing each other’s vocals and laying it down on bass and guitar. They even launched into a rousing cover of Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” to pick up the energy even more towards the end of the set.
“Fixed” provided the ultimate throwback for NHC before the trio closed things out with “Permission” and “Know Me Too Well”. These guys are on the verge of their big moment and after an hour with them, the crowd definitely went home thinking that things just might be “Getting Better”.
Check out all the photos from the show!
Story and photos by Olivia Khiel
