When William Francis first started making music under the name William Control, he had set out to create something entirely different from his previous band. In fact, he seems to have created something entirely different from any other bands in his genre. His unique approach to music sets him aside from every other band on the Fight to Unite Tour, headlined by Blood on the Dancefloor.

I’ve never been a fan of the whole electronically infused hardcore screamo nonsense that makes up the bands on the Fight to Unite tour but damn can William Control put on a show. At the Webster Theater, in Hartford, CT, on April 21st,   this dude fucking killed it. You know someone is a great performer when they’ve got non-fans nodding their heads and tapping their feet to the music.

With a cigarette almost constantly in one hand, William Control’s infectious synth and bass beats overpowered any trace of horrible scene kid music that I was hoping to avoid.This still pervaded the show even when he faced technical difficulties and his mic and guitar feeds went dead. He still had kids in neon skinny jeans and spirit hoods jumping around and dancing their asses off.

Above all, Will was engaging, energetic, but kept that odd, vampire-esque brooding look about him that gave him the very look his music described. That’s an odd sentence. But you’ll know what I mean if you see him perform on the Fight to Unite tour. Definitely worth the sea of hundreds of poorly dressed scene kids I had to wade through.