Balance and Composure was playing at the El ‘N’ Gee with Title Fight, and I was ridiculously stoked. The last time I saw B&C was at Skate and Surf, where I even met the lead singer, Jon Simmons. I couldn’t wait to see them in such an intimate venue, with such a passionate crowd.
The band came on stage, and instantly, the crowd pushed forward and filled in whatever inch-wide gaps there were. Their first two songs were off their newer album, which I’m unfamiliar with, but they were…boring. I was surprised that I wasn’t captivated at all. It was mediocre and whiny, bland and uninteresting. The band had no stage presence, Simmons was a little bit of a mess, and there was no real passion. It’s like they had big-rockstar mentality, when they don’t have the luxury to at all. When you’re that small of a band, you need the drive and the hunger, or you’re going nowhere.
“Fade” was great, nonetheless. A personal favourite off of their album “Separation”, I didn’t remember them playing it live when I saw them last. “The world doesn’t really want you to fade..so hold on to all the little things that you love.” That lyric hit hard for everyone in the venue who’d listened to that song before because the crowd pushed forward even further, and I saw a few people just going mad.
All in all, I was disappointed. It was decent at best, and the lack of real care was perhaps because Simmons didn’t seem up to it. He appeared disoriented, and it might have been an off night for him, or he had one too many beers. Regardless, it was kind of sad. Last time I saw them, they were strong and powerful, energetic and feeding off the energy of those watching. That didn’t seem to be the case, and it seriously hurt my opinions of them. Now I realise just how generic and mediocre they truly are.
Setlist:
Reflection
Parachutes
Void
Tiny Raindrop
Fade
Stonehands
More To Me
Lost Your Name
Quake
Notice Me