Live review: Balancing Act rock YES, Manchester

Written by Lauren Hague

Formed in London, Balancing Act are the new ‘must see before they blow up’ band.

Before seeing Balancing Act live, I was initially impressed by their sound. Despite currently having a slightly limited discography, they’ve already been successful in establishing a sound that feels unique and distinctive from their indie/alternative peers. This slightly dark but energetic trademark sound was brought to life increasingly on the YES stage at their lively and vibrant gig in Manchester recently.

The indie four piece opened with their most recent single ‘Before I Shoot’ which they describe to be symbolic of ‘a step in a new direction’. Whilst ‘Before I Shoot’ favours a more intense production whilst exploring slightly more mature lyrics than their previous work, it manages to remain cohesive with ‘Balancing Act’s’ overall back catalogue. This loyalty to their image cements them as a band who are already established in their sentiment and ahead of finding their feet.

Frontman, Kai got intimate with the Manchester crowd for the band’s heart-felt ballad ‘The saddest song I ever did write’. The singer performed the song from their recent EP; ‘Malice in Tone’ after jumping into the audience, surrounded by supporters who held up phone torches.

It was their earlier single ‘All Yours’ however that excited the intimate crowd to it’s atmospheric pinnacle; with most supporters singing along and even creating mosh pits. A perfect choice of closing song to leave the audience lingering on a high.

In conversation with the band, before they stunned onstage, they insisted the vast extent of the live show’s influence on their recordings, guitarist David describing their live shows to even slightly ‘overshadow the recordings’.

In our interview the band also emphasised the importance of smaller venues such as YES to them as an up-and-coming band. ‘They mean everything, we are nothing without them’ expressed George, drummer.

The indie rockers appear to have their sights set on playing iconic Manchester venues such as The Deaf Institute, Gorilla and The Pink Room @ YES all as venues they’re aiming to play in the future and based on their most recent Manchester performance, I feel it’s only a matter of time until they do just that!

Overall, ‘Balancing Act’ feel like a breath of fresh air in a saturated genre, bringing something hugely exciting back to indie music and their live shows further support this.

An absolute must-see band who are natural rock stars.

You can follow Balancing Act on Instagram here.