Meet Upcoming Pop Band Balcony
Balcony’s latest single ‘Girls’ is a perfect match for all the lovers out there searching for a dreamy, irresistible pop anthem. This four-piece band from South London is quickly capturing the attention of the music industry with their charm, including support from BBC Radio 1, Radio X, Tones & I, and more. Balcony stands out in the music world with their unique style and musical individuality in the pop realm with sultry singles like ‘Pink Hair, Green Eyes’ and ‘Inside Out.’ After touring with Lewis Capaldi, recently headlining a sold out show at Camden Assembly and over amassing over a million streams, we are confident that this group is only getting started.
We had the opportunity to chat with the guys about their experience as a band, including their group dynamic, their new single ‘Girls,’ and their plans for the year…
Did each of you ever envision yourself in a band? If not, how do you feel about it now?
Jamie – I’ve always wanted to be in a band. I tried to start like three or four bands during school, but they were always too rocky, and no one seemed to like pop as much as me lol. Then I met Jack, Johno, and Dave. Not sure if they liked pop as much as me, but they were definitely more open to trying it out.
Johno – Absolutely which my family can attest to as I started banging on pots and pans as a toddler having seen some random music video and haven’t really stopped banging on about being in a band ever since.
How do you think your sound and performance style has evolved over the years?
Jamie – I think over time we’ve just realised that we want to write big songs. When we started, we were still learning what sounds made us excited, and now we want to incorporate those sounds in big songs. At our first live show, pretty sure I stood behind a keyboard the whole time and didn’t look up once. Now you can’t keep me in one spot for more than a few seconds. I’m learning during every show, so one day, it’ll all click into place what works and what doesn’t.
Dave – Playing stages and shows that range from 150 – 5,000 capacity has made our performance mature, I mean you have to step it up when you’re supporting Capaldi or Tones and I! We’ve tried lots of different things but bringing our aesthetic from our single release artwork to the stage really made us stand out.
What’s the story behind your new inclusive single ‘Girls’?
Jamie – it’s about acceptance and loving whoever you want. We’d been out for drinks after our first headline show, and it was one of those loose nights which we knew we had to write about. I think it was Monday at 10 pm the next week that we started writing it. We collaborate a lot with this amazing producer Dan Mirza, who played a couple of chords, which we immediately wrote the chorus hook over “I just wanna kiss girls, sometimes wanna kiss boys”, which was a reflection based on the events that had happened that night. Dan looked at us and was like ‘alright, so we’re really going for it today then’.
Johno – We believe that people should be able to love who they want without judgment. As long as they aren’t hurting anyone else or themselves, then people should just be able to do what makes them happy.
Your video for the track is a creative experience that’s filled with vibrant and colorful visuals. Take us through your experience shooting the video. What were the major ideas or themes you wanted to touch on?
Jamie – Thank you so much! We wanted to be brave and make something that was as visually loud as the lyric idea, so when we collaborated with Regina Sepp, we knew she was going to help us create something colorful. ‘Girls’ is such a stark contrast to everything else we’ve done, and it feels like we’re onto something that we’ll keep pursuing.
Jack – It was so much fun. Always love shooting videos. Although by the end, I was quite drunk, which I think you can kind of tell by looking at me, hahah. The idea was to create something fun that conveyed the idea of the song.
Johno – The world of Balcony is a very colorful place both with what we release and even our live show due to our equipment being draped in flowers, which was an idea Dave brought to fruition for us. With ‘Girls’ as with all our previous videos, we definitely gravitated toward the visual aesthetic first and then loved the proposed narrative on top of that. The major idea is a split between reality and what’s going on inside Jamie’s mind as the song progresses. The change in costume and inclusion of the dancers and other images represent Jamie’s imagination running wild.
Can each member choose three words that describe your group dynamic best?
Johno – Four Strapping Lads
Jack – Fun, Work, Fun
Jamie – Smiley, ambitious, caring
Dave – motivated, talented idiots!
Can you explain one surreal or pivotal moment in your career?
Jack – The most pivotal and surreal moment of my life, let alone career. Was getting a call from the one and only Sir Elton John. We had been to a party at his house, as you do, and as a thank you I wrote him a letter and sent him a little gift. Three months later I’m walking down Putney high street to get a £3 meal deal from Tesco, and low and behold I get a call from an unknown number. “Hello, Mate’… “Ummm Hello ELTON JOHN,” he was very kind to call and very supportive of the music.
Dave – stepping out on Brixton 02 Academy stage to open for Lewis Capaldi, seeing the venue packed, hearing the crowd cheer at the end of the set. That was a gig that meant a lot to us, real sentimental one….brings a tear to my eye thinking about it… Capaldi wasn’t bad either.
How do you want your fans to feel after listening to your music?
Jamie – Empowered and ready to party.
Johno – I want fans to feel the same sense of fun we have creating and performing our music. It’s also always nice when people dance and sing along with us. I also think it’s so sick when people create their own personal connection to our songs as I think loving music is always such a personal experience.
Jack – Hungover.
You are set to headline Omeara in October, do you plan on performing new music?
Johno – I’d tell you, but I’d have to kill you, guess you’ll just have to come along to the show at Omeara on 14th October, TICKETS ON SALE NOW! But also, yes, we have loads of new stuff which you’ll hear at the show!
Jack – We’ve got a new song coming out every six weeks, for the next few months. All of which we’re so excited about, and we’ll be playing at the show. There’s a song called Tattoo that’s been a fan favourite live, which feels amazing to be finally getting out.
Make sure to check out Balcony’s latest video for their track ‘Girls’ below…
