February 17, 2014

The Balconies bring down Lee's Palace

I caught The Balconies' sold out album release show for their adopted home town crowd at Lee's Palace on February 1. Going in, I knew I liked The Balconies and had featured them on the blog a couple of times before. But I don't think I was prepared for the power and energy they bring to the stage.
I took a lot of pictures. More than I have of any band I've shot so far. I think I took so many pictures because they are so energetic on stage and I wasn't sure if I was getting anything usable. Then I had to narrow down the shots to the ones you see in this post. Not an easy task. I tried to capture the energy and power that we all saw that night. I actually prefer some of the shots that have motion blur because they capture the dynamics of the live show.
The Balconies produce powerhouse rock of the kind we just don't hear enough. With no interest in trends or fads they play the music they love with conviction, passion and energy. Heavy hitting drums, loud grimy guitars, just the right amount of groove and the vocals; impassioned wails at the night sky that will give you goosebumps. Their full length album Fast Motions is available now at their bandcamp. It's an uber-solid record from front to back. Highly recommended.
They started the show with "Boys & Girls" before pounding through tracks like "I Know You're Right", "The Slo" and "Fast Motions" before ending the show with an awesome cover of Gaga's "Applause" and set closer "Kill Count". They couldn't end with that, though. They returned to the stage to bring down the house with "Do It In The Dark". Killer.
Bottom line - the songs are great rock songs, the band looks awesome on stage and they put 110% into their live show. Listen to some tunes and trust me, see this band live. Personally, I can't wait til next time.
Killer show opener "Boys & Girls"

"The Slo"

"Battle Royale"

Set closer "Kill Count"

Encore tune "Do It In The Dark"