Article and Photos by: Andrew Kopanski
BRIGHTON, MA – A long 31-stop tour wrapped up tonight with a final performance at the small Brighton Music Hall. This type of venue is where In the Valley Below really shines – at a place where they can be not only intimate with one another on stage but draw the audience into each of their songs. The band is led by Jeffrey Jacob and Angela Gail who are recently married and announced the news to the crowd to a round of applause. The chemistry between these two is infectious and must be experienced live as their harmonies seem entirely different when watching the pair work their magic on stage.
Flagship opened for the night and the band from South Carolina made it clear that they too were sad to be leaving the road after the conclusion of the night’s show but were excited to be in Boston for the first time. But they made sure to go all out for this last event – to a dizzying array of strobes the band launched into their high energy set. Through the band’s dancing across the stage, only the bassist remained still, solemnly playing each chord silhouetted by one of the stage lights. After a few songs they took a sharp turn to acoustic with Drake Margolnick picking up a guitar for the first time and leading the band through an excellent cover of Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees.” The set ended with “The Ladder” and the band asking everyone who was scattered through the venue to move forward and share their last song with them. It all ended with the heartfelt words “I won’t climb no…I won’t climb…”
During the changeover the stage underwent a complete transformation as nearly all of the equipment from Flagship was emptied, to be replaced with a stripped down version of the same drum set, a keyboard to the side, and a double microphone up front.
Making their way on stage to a backdrop of Gregorian monk music, the duo took their places in front of the microphones. Even though the stage was emptied of equipment their presence filled the space, her in a flowing red Gothic gown and him in a crisp white suit. The music abruptly changed as the drums hit and the pair shouted “Stand Up!” as they launched into one of their 2013 album songs of the same name. This album is what they are best known for and for good reason. All of their songs show their immense skill in composition and layering their two voices together. “Dove Season” was a perfect example, with the slow melody putting the audience into a trance as they sang “If this is the end, let’s start all over, start all over again…”
Their EP Elephant was recently released with an entirely different feel. These new songs eschew the harmonies and synthesizers for a much heavier sound, with Angela picking up a bright red bass guitar for the first time. The strobe lights lit up again and the band rocked their way through. At first it seemed as awkward as when Marcus Mumford ditched the banjo. It didn’t seem right, but that feeling quickly subsided as the audience adjusted to the new pace.
