http://www.blocparty.net/blogparty.html
Friday, January 26, 2007
London Mean Fiddler (Xfm Session), 25.01.07
Song For Clay (Disappear Here)
Positive Tension
Banquet
Waiting for the 7:18
The Prayer
This Modern Love
Uniform
Like Eating Glass
So Here We Are
Helicopter
I Still Remember
She's Hearing Voices
Sunday
Two More Years
Despite appearing onstage a good half hour late, Kele Okereke is upbeat and grinning; the music press is shitting itself at the possibility of something more quotable than reticence. It's decidedly uncharacteristic: quips and exchanges from the famed nonchalant who once barked at a journalist, "Why is it important to know what I had for breakfast?". In a nod to stories of 'A Weekend in the City''s leak, Kele asserts himself again: ""As you know, we've got a new record. Who's heard our new album already? And who's going to buy our new album?"
The Party get straight into it with 'Song for Clay', the first track from the follow-up to 2005's #3 charter 'Silent Alarm'. Despite the volte-face from the angled art-rock movement that Bloc Party headed up, everyone here's still going at it like each offering is an anthemic gem. That first set were famously cut and polished by Paul Epworth. However, to appreciate the new quarry of songs, mastered by 'Jacknife' Lee, you have to dig deeper, as the angular jerk is buried beneath swathes of strings and up-tempered rhythm and blues beats, such as forthcoming single 'Uniform' demonstrates.
'Positive Tension' sees things back on familiar territory, summed up best by the perfect drop for everyone to scream the ideal reproach "so fucking useless!" to Kele's angsty "Why d'you have to get so pissed off?"
An early surprise is 'Banquet'. Were Bloc Party a weaker band, that song would have been shored up for later as a second helping to the alcohol feast the crowd is having of its own. But the calibre of this band's catalogue makes set list assault tactics unnecessary.
Only one other band has written such a classic song about shyness and that was The Smiths with 'Ask'. Bloc Party's take on the affliction, 'The Prayer' is otherworldly in its composition. Foreboding yet optimistic, Kele prays "Tonight make me unstoppable, I will charm, I will slice, I will dazzle them with my wit" – this seriously is quite amazing.
'This Modern Love' reminds us that Bloc Party do sensitivity just as well as staccato guitar lines and hyperkinetic drumming. It's the musical expression of their oft-quoted "You can't pigeonhole us" line when they emerged from the New Cross scene by way of a demo famously finding its way into Steve Lamacq's hands at a Franz Ferdinand gig.
We're taken back to those early days as Kele says, "This is our first hit single, from January 2005, 'So Here We Are'." His beautifully wounded vocals entice lighters aloft. Clearly no one here's worried about the Price of Gas.
Waiting for Bloc Party to reappear is probably the easiest way of making five minutes seem like an hour. Kele beams, "You may be wondering why we have two drum kits on stage. Cue multi-instrumentalist Gordon!" Cue some tedious scuffling and a couple of nervous twangs from guitarist Russell Lissack more like. His trademark three year-long indie fringe clearly isn't enough to hide his awkwardness. "Sorry, we still haven't perfected our change-overs yet." It doesn't matter really; let's just see Gordon on the drums! And to chants of "Gordon, Gordon!", the bassist hammers the skins alongside Matt Tong in a thrashing delivery of 'Sunday'.
"This is our last song, London, 'Two More Years'". Let's just hope we don't have to wait that long again until the next record. This is a remarkable return to duty.
[Another review] [Photos]
Song For Clay (Disappear Here)
Positive Tension
Banquet
Waiting for the 7:18
The Prayer
This Modern Love
Uniform
Like Eating Glass
So Here We Are
Helicopter
I Still Remember
She's Hearing Voices
Sunday
Two More Years
[Reviewed by Michelle Connolly]
No matter how you introduce one of the country's most successful acts of recent times, it's never going to quite nail the anticipation. That task this evening fell to Iain Baker: "These guys have sold out that place 35 yards to my right three nights next week so to catch them here in such an intimate venue…well, tonight's going to be amazing." Cue even more jostling for position and it's job well done by the Xfm DJ.Despite appearing onstage a good half hour late, Kele Okereke is upbeat and grinning; the music press is shitting itself at the possibility of something more quotable than reticence. It's decidedly uncharacteristic: quips and exchanges from the famed nonchalant who once barked at a journalist, "Why is it important to know what I had for breakfast?". In a nod to stories of 'A Weekend in the City''s leak, Kele asserts himself again: ""As you know, we've got a new record. Who's heard our new album already? And who's going to buy our new album?"
The Party get straight into it with 'Song for Clay', the first track from the follow-up to 2005's #3 charter 'Silent Alarm'. Despite the volte-face from the angled art-rock movement that Bloc Party headed up, everyone here's still going at it like each offering is an anthemic gem. That first set were famously cut and polished by Paul Epworth. However, to appreciate the new quarry of songs, mastered by 'Jacknife' Lee, you have to dig deeper, as the angular jerk is buried beneath swathes of strings and up-tempered rhythm and blues beats, such as forthcoming single 'Uniform' demonstrates.
'Positive Tension' sees things back on familiar territory, summed up best by the perfect drop for everyone to scream the ideal reproach "so fucking useless!" to Kele's angsty "Why d'you have to get so pissed off?"
An early surprise is 'Banquet'. Were Bloc Party a weaker band, that song would have been shored up for later as a second helping to the alcohol feast the crowd is having of its own. But the calibre of this band's catalogue makes set list assault tactics unnecessary.
Only one other band has written such a classic song about shyness and that was The Smiths with 'Ask'. Bloc Party's take on the affliction, 'The Prayer' is otherworldly in its composition. Foreboding yet optimistic, Kele prays "Tonight make me unstoppable, I will charm, I will slice, I will dazzle them with my wit" – this seriously is quite amazing.
'This Modern Love' reminds us that Bloc Party do sensitivity just as well as staccato guitar lines and hyperkinetic drumming. It's the musical expression of their oft-quoted "You can't pigeonhole us" line when they emerged from the New Cross scene by way of a demo famously finding its way into Steve Lamacq's hands at a Franz Ferdinand gig.
We're taken back to those early days as Kele says, "This is our first hit single, from January 2005, 'So Here We Are'." His beautifully wounded vocals entice lighters aloft. Clearly no one here's worried about the Price of Gas.
Waiting for Bloc Party to reappear is probably the easiest way of making five minutes seem like an hour. Kele beams, "You may be wondering why we have two drum kits on stage. Cue multi-instrumentalist Gordon!" Cue some tedious scuffling and a couple of nervous twangs from guitarist Russell Lissack more like. His trademark three year-long indie fringe clearly isn't enough to hide his awkwardness. "Sorry, we still haven't perfected our change-overs yet." It doesn't matter really; let's just see Gordon on the drums! And to chants of "Gordon, Gordon!", the bassist hammers the skins alongside Matt Tong in a thrashing delivery of 'Sunday'.
"This is our last song, London, 'Two More Years'". Let's just hope we don't have to wait that long again until the next record. This is a remarkable return to duty.
[Another review] [Photos]
Labels: Gig_reviews, Setlists, Tour
¶ 11:00 AM
