Title Fight, Balance and Composure get heavy at Union Transfer
All photos by Allison Newbold | allynewbold.com
The punk rock guys from Kingston and Doylestown, PA put on a phenomenal hometown show at a sold out Union Transfer last week. Both Title Fight and Balance and Composure displayed just how heavy they can be, and how tight they are, even with stage divers running by them for almost the entirety of the show.
After opening sets from poppy Lehigh Valley duo Slingshot Dakota and Portland, Maine’s Cruel Hand, Balance and Composure kicked off a set of songs mostly from their second album The Things We Think We’re Missing. These tracks sounded huge, and even better than they do on the record. The grittiness in the music came through very well, especially as Jon Simmons poured his heart out in every way from melodies to all out screams. As they played “Parachutes” and “Notice Me” it was as if the band transcended into a space between beautiful and grungy, bringing the chanting crowd along with them. With all the explosions and layered guitar grooves in their powerful music, Balance and Composure has continued to progress as one of the best bands in the area.
Title Fight is a band that has not only put out great records in the recent past (see Floral Green), but has risen to prominence in the national punk rock scene for their intense live shows. Title Fight came out as hard as they always do, head banging and thrashing all over the stage, dodging the multitude of fans that had made their way on to the stage. They did not skip a beat the entire time (except for an injury that caused the show to be put on halt for some time), and picked up one song right as the previous one had ended. Playing old favorites such as “Symmetry” among newer songs like “Secret Society,” they kept the crowd on their feet and in the show. Of course, the crowd was yelling lyrics right back in the band’s face and they seemed to know every single word. The performance was heartfelt, and the ecstatic reaction from the crowd only reinforced just how good this band is.