Thursday, August 31, 2006
Yourcodenameis:Gordy
Details have been announced of the much-anticipated sessions album coordinated by Geordie quintet Yourcodenameis:Milo and featuring collaborations with bands such as Maximo Park, The Futureheads and The Automatic.
The album, entitled 'Print Is Dead Vol. 1', is set for release on November 6th, preceded by a single, 'Wait A Minute', which features Bloc Party's very own Gordon Moakes on bass duties. This will be available as a strictly limited 7" vinyl and download from October 2nd.
Speaking to Gigwise about his appearance on the album, Gordy said:
"I appeared on a frosty December day after months touring the world with the Bloc. We finally found time just before Christmas. I'd loved 'Ignoto' (Yourcodenameis:Milo's debut album) so a chance to hang out, even butt musical horns as it were with Milo was something I relished."
"Our track started pretty simply: I just mentioned something about Les Savy Fav and Justin started putting down a groovy little beat which we built some slinky hooks over."
"I said it should all kick off and sound dense at the end and Paul wrote that riff which appears at the end. I piled it up with moving chords on the bass to make it sound thicker, and we all loved it straightaway."
Details have been announced of the much-anticipated sessions album coordinated by Geordie quintet Yourcodenameis:Milo and featuring collaborations with bands such as Maximo Park, The Futureheads and The Automatic.
The album, entitled 'Print Is Dead Vol. 1', is set for release on November 6th, preceded by a single, 'Wait A Minute', which features Bloc Party's very own Gordon Moakes on bass duties. This will be available as a strictly limited 7" vinyl and download from October 2nd.
Speaking to Gigwise about his appearance on the album, Gordy said: "I appeared on a frosty December day after months touring the world with the Bloc. We finally found time just before Christmas. I'd loved 'Ignoto' (Yourcodenameis:Milo's debut album) so a chance to hang out, even butt musical horns as it were with Milo was something I relished."
"Our track started pretty simply: I just mentioned something about Les Savy Fav and Justin started putting down a groovy little beat which we built some slinky hooks over."
"I said it should all kick off and sound dense at the end and Paul wrote that riff which appears at the end. I piled it up with moving chords on the bass to make it sound thicker, and we all loved it straightaway."
Labels: Collaborations, Other_releases
¶ 6:01 PM 0 comments links to this post
Fan review...V Festival, Staffordshire, 20.08.06
Gig: 20.08.06 - V Festival, Staffordshire
Photos and review: Larry McCloskey (a.k.a. Harry Potter)
Angry faces. Hundreds of angered and disgruntled faces were created as we weaved our way through the crowd for a prime position for the Bloc. Of course, I’d never promote such pushing through the audience for any other band, but this is Bloc Party, an exception. After ten minutes of talking to a group of guys enjoying the drunken revelry that a festival offers, I was formally introduced to the crowd as Harry Potter by one of the group. Luckily however, Kele and the band were quick to arrive to save any further embarrassment and take centre stage.
With not so much as a “hello”, the glockenspiel-driven opening (yeah that’s right, a glockenspiel driving a song) and almost whispered vocals of 'Waiting For The 7:18' kicked off the show. It clicked with the audience almost immediately and the crowd became lost in an ecstatic state as the wall of sound produced by the build-up to the chorus jerked in. The anticipation and excitement for the new album had just tripled after this.
Once the band broke into the classics, the set seemed to pass in a euphoric blur as the crowd became lodged deeper and deeper in the music, only emerging to shout out the obscenity at the climax of 'Positive Tension' in unison. Soon the infamous 'Banquet' intro beat kicked in and the crowd almost eclipsed the many amps with their rapturous greeting to the first line. As Kele mentioned, 'So Here We Are' seemed like the perfect anthem for the moment, as the clouds opened and coated the audience in light drizzle (save yourself!).
The highlight of the set for me must have been 'Like Eating Glass', a truly legendary live anthem (well to my mind, at least). However, this time was different; this time I was 6ft further from the muddy floor. The man who decided I was Harry Potter decided it was time for me to fly. And who was I to turn down the opportunity to witness 'Like Eating Glass' from upon high? I challenge anyone to find a better line than “An aversion to light/got a fear of the oooccccceeeaaannnnnnn”. In return, you can get a pat on the back.
The crowd were truly alive at this point, only to be disappointed as Kele announced that this would be Bloc Party's last performance in the UK this year. And what better way to go than 'Helicopter'. The feedback levels rose to unheard of amounts. The fans were on edge near the front waiting for it and then...BANG...it all went off royally as Russell flew into the riff and mad jumping ensued, as well as a small mosh pit.
But all good things must come to an end. The band went off, Kele telling the crowd to hit the two men in parrots suits if they saw them and Matt talking of his hate for satsumas (except at Christmas). Drum sticks and water bottles were thrown into the crowd and I left with a sense of satisfaction and the knowledge of witnessing something truly awesome.
Gig: 20.08.06 - V Festival, Staffordshire
Photos and review: Larry McCloskey (a.k.a. Harry Potter)
Angry faces. Hundreds of angered and disgruntled faces were created as we weaved our way through the crowd for a prime position for the Bloc. Of course, I’d never promote such pushing through the audience for any other band, but this is Bloc Party, an exception. After ten minutes of talking to a group of guys enjoying the drunken revelry that a festival offers, I was formally introduced to the crowd as Harry Potter by one of the group. Luckily however, Kele and the band were quick to arrive to save any further embarrassment and take centre stage.With not so much as a “hello”, the glockenspiel-driven opening (yeah that’s right, a glockenspiel driving a song) and almost whispered vocals of 'Waiting For The 7:18' kicked off the show. It clicked with the audience almost immediately and the crowd became lost in an ecstatic state as the wall of sound produced by the build-up to the chorus jerked in. The anticipation and excitement for the new album had just tripled after this.
Once the band broke into the classics, the set seemed to pass in a euphoric blur as the crowd became lodged deeper and deeper in the music, only emerging to shout out the obscenity at the climax of 'Positive Tension' in unison. Soon the infamous 'Banquet' intro beat kicked in and the crowd almost eclipsed the many amps with their rapturous greeting to the first line. As Kele mentioned, 'So Here We Are' seemed like the perfect anthem for the moment, as the clouds opened and coated the audience in light drizzle (save yourself!).
The highlight of the set for me must have been 'Like Eating Glass', a truly legendary live anthem (well to my mind, at least). However, this time was different; this time I was 6ft further from the muddy floor. The man who decided I was Harry Potter decided it was time for me to fly. And who was I to turn down the opportunity to witness 'Like Eating Glass' from upon high? I challenge anyone to find a better line than “An aversion to light/got a fear of the oooccccceeeaaannnnnnn”. In return, you can get a pat on the back.
The crowd were truly alive at this point, only to be disappointed as Kele announced that this would be Bloc Party's last performance in the UK this year. And what better way to go than 'Helicopter'. The feedback levels rose to unheard of amounts. The fans were on edge near the front waiting for it and then...BANG...it all went off royally as Russell flew into the riff and mad jumping ensued, as well as a small mosh pit.But all good things must come to an end. The band went off, Kele telling the crowd to hit the two men in parrots suits if they saw them and Matt talking of his hate for satsumas (except at Christmas). Drum sticks and water bottles were thrown into the crowd and I left with a sense of satisfaction and the knowledge of witnessing something truly awesome.
Labels: Gig_reviews
¶ 5:55 PM 3 comments links to this post
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
A couple of goodies on 'Marshals'...
The official Bloc Party fan space, 'Marshals', has been updated today:
The official Bloc Party fan space, 'Marshals', has been updated today:
- Read the Q&A session with Kele and find out if he answered your question (that you sent to me back in October 2005!)
- Watch a video of the guys recording 'Waiting For The 7.18' in May 2006, featuring glockenspeil, piano and a lot of tremolo guitar!
Labels: Videos
¶ 2:39 PM 4 comments links to this post
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Please vote for BlocParty.net in the BT Digital Music Awards!
To vote for BlocParty.net in this year's BT Digital Music Awards, simply click on the button below...it'll take 30 seconds of your time! Every vote counts, so get clicking :)
The BT Digital Music Awards are designed to recognise the success of UK music companies and artists in reaching out to music fans via digital platforms: whether that be in the form of music and video downloads, music websites, fansites and WAP sites, podcasts, blogs and ezines. Winners will be announced at an exclusive awards ceremony at London's Roundhouse on October 3, 2006.
Don't feel limited...you can vote more than once! (Each person can vote once per day, allowing a total of 30 votes per person!)
To vote for BlocParty.net in this year's BT Digital Music Awards, simply click on the button below...it'll take 30 seconds of your time! Every vote counts, so get clicking :)
The BT Digital Music Awards are designed to recognise the success of UK music companies and artists in reaching out to music fans via digital platforms: whether that be in the form of music and video downloads, music websites, fansites and WAP sites, podcasts, blogs and ezines. Winners will be announced at an exclusive awards ceremony at London's Roundhouse on October 3, 2006.
Don't feel limited...you can vote more than once! (Each person can vote once per day, allowing a total of 30 votes per person!)
Labels: Awards, BlocParty.net
¶ 11:33 PM 3 comments links to this post
Monday, August 28, 2006
Street Scene interview
A pretty funny audio interview from the San Diego Street Scene festival in August...enjoy!
Listen
A pretty funny audio interview from the San Diego Street Scene festival in August...enjoy!
Listen
Labels: Interviews, Press
¶ 11:37 PM 4 comments links to this post
Sunday, August 27, 2006
'A Weekend In The Sea'?
According to a post on the NME messageboard, Kele has exclusively revealed to Xfm that 'A Weekend In The Sea' is the title of the forthcoming album.
This hasn't been confirmed yet, so it may well be completely inaccurate. The title might also have been misheard...'A Weekend In The City' sounds more likely to me!
edit: The title of the new album has indeed been confirmed as 'A Weekend In The City'. This is still not 100% definite though, so look out for an official announcement sometime in the future!
According to a post on the NME messageboard, Kele has exclusively revealed to Xfm that 'A Weekend In The Sea' is the title of the forthcoming album.
This hasn't been confirmed yet, so it may well be completely inaccurate. The title might also have been misheard...'A Weekend In The City' sounds more likely to me!
edit: The title of the new album has indeed been confirmed as 'A Weekend In The City'. This is still not 100% definite though, so look out for an official announcement sometime in the future!
Labels: A_Weekend_In_The_City
¶ 2:23 AM 7 comments links to this post
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Panic! At The (indie) Disco
Poster boys of the current emo scene, Panic! At The Disco, have announced a U.S. tour and, slightly bafflingly, the Bloc boys have been asked to accompany them, along with Jack's Mannequin.
Here's the epic Stateside trek in full (deep breath):
07.11.06 Sunrise, FL - Bank Atlantic Center
08.11.06 Orlando, FL - UCF Arena
09.11.06 Atlanta, GA - HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
10.11.06 Charlotte, NC - Cricket Arena
11.11.06 Fairfax, VA - Patriot Center
13.11.06 New York, NY - Theater at Madison Square Garden
14.11.06 New York, NY - Theater at Madison Square Garden
16.11.06 Toronto, Ontario - Ricoh Coliseum
17.11.06 Rochester, NY - Gordon Field House at RIT
18.11.06 Lowell, MA - Tsongas Arena
19.11.06 Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
21.11.06 Auburn Hills, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills
22.11.06 Chicago, IL - UIC Pavilion
24.11.06 Minneapolis, MN - US Bank Theater
25.11.06 St. Charles, MO - Family Arena
26.11.06 Council Bluffs, IA - Mid-America Center
28.11.06 Denver, CO - Magness Arena
29.11.06 Salt Lake City, UT - The E Center
01.12.06 Portland, OR - Memorial Coliseum
02.12.06 Vancouver, British Columbia - Pacific Coliseum
03.12.06 Seattle, WA - Everett Events Center
05.12.06 San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion
06.12.06 Long Beach, CA - Long Beach Arena
07.12.06 Glendale, AZ - Glendale Arena
08.12.06 Las Vegas, NV - Orleans Theatre
09.12.06 San Diego, CA - ipayOne Center
So, get to grips with those preposterously long song titles (sample specimen: 'There's A Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Thought Of It Yet') and go along to see how Bloc Party fare in front of the Myspace masses.
Poster boys of the current emo scene, Panic! At The Disco, have announced a U.S. tour and, slightly bafflingly, the Bloc boys have been asked to accompany them, along with Jack's Mannequin.
Here's the epic Stateside trek in full (deep breath):
07.11.06 Sunrise, FL - Bank Atlantic Center
08.11.06 Orlando, FL - UCF Arena
09.11.06 Atlanta, GA - HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
10.11.06 Charlotte, NC - Cricket Arena
11.11.06 Fairfax, VA - Patriot Center
13.11.06 New York, NY - Theater at Madison Square Garden
14.11.06 New York, NY - Theater at Madison Square Garden
16.11.06 Toronto, Ontario - Ricoh Coliseum
17.11.06 Rochester, NY - Gordon Field House at RIT
18.11.06 Lowell, MA - Tsongas Arena
19.11.06 Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
21.11.06 Auburn Hills, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills
22.11.06 Chicago, IL - UIC Pavilion
24.11.06 Minneapolis, MN - US Bank Theater
25.11.06 St. Charles, MO - Family Arena
26.11.06 Council Bluffs, IA - Mid-America Center
28.11.06 Denver, CO - Magness Arena
29.11.06 Salt Lake City, UT - The E Center
01.12.06 Portland, OR - Memorial Coliseum
02.12.06 Vancouver, British Columbia - Pacific Coliseum
03.12.06 Seattle, WA - Everett Events Center
05.12.06 San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion
06.12.06 Long Beach, CA - Long Beach Arena
07.12.06 Glendale, AZ - Glendale Arena
08.12.06 Las Vegas, NV - Orleans Theatre
09.12.06 San Diego, CA - ipayOne Center
So, get to grips with those preposterously long song titles (sample specimen: 'There's A Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Thought Of It Yet') and go along to see how Bloc Party fare in front of the Myspace masses.
Labels: Tour
¶ 9:17 PM 27 comments links to this post
War Child Canada presents: 'Help!: A Day in the Life'
A new version of the War Child benefit album, 'Help!: A Day in the Life', is released in Canada on September 5th. It has a different line-up to the UK version but still features Bloc Party's 'The Present', an exclusive song which is only available through War Child.
Other bands on this special release include heavyweights Coldplay, Radiohead and Gorillaz alongside local Canadian acts such as The Dears, Metric and The Weakerthans.
For a full track-by-track guide and sneak previews of all the tracks click here.
A new version of the War Child benefit album, 'Help!: A Day in the Life', is released in Canada on September 5th. It has a different line-up to the UK version but still features Bloc Party's 'The Present', an exclusive song which is only available through War Child.
Other bands on this special release include heavyweights Coldplay, Radiohead and Gorillaz alongside local Canadian acts such as The Dears, Metric and The Weakerthans.
For a full track-by-track guide and sneak previews of all the tracks click here.
Labels: Other_releases
¶ 8:29 PM 1 comments links to this post
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Second LP: "Heavier, more electronic"
Yet another article to ramp up anticipation for the new album:
MTV News
Yet another article to ramp up anticipation for the new album:
MTV News
Labels: A_Weekend_In_The_City, Press
¶ 10:46 PM 2 comments links to this post
Monday, August 21, 2006
"You eat meat and should therefore die"
A few videos from recent festivals:
Gordy and Matt's Morrissey impression
Gordy and Matt interviewed at V Festival (featuring a cameo by Serge from Kasabian...no sign of any inter-band hostility!)
Matt and Kele (play)fight at Lowlands
A few videos from recent festivals:
Gordy and Matt's Morrissey impression
Gordy and Matt interviewed at V Festival (featuring a cameo by Serge from Kasabian...no sign of any inter-band hostility!)
Matt and Kele (play)fight at Lowlands
Labels: Videos
¶ 11:52 PM 3 comments links to this post
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Download: 'Song For Clay' bootleg
'Song For Clay (Disappear Here)' is set to appear on the new album and is a sublime example of Bloc Party's frenetic, agitated side, featuring some rather out-there vocals by Kele and Gordy. It's not an amazing quality bootleg and the start is chopped off, but I figured it was better than nothing! Maybe someone managed to get a better recording?
As previously mentioned on BLOG PARTY, the track is inspired by the main character in the Bret Easton Ellis cult novel, 'Less Than Zero'.
Recorded by unreal_andy from A.N.D.
'Song For Clay (Disappear Here)' is set to appear on the new album and is a sublime example of Bloc Party's frenetic, agitated side, featuring some rather out-there vocals by Kele and Gordy. It's not an amazing quality bootleg and the start is chopped off, but I figured it was better than nothing! Maybe someone managed to get a better recording? As previously mentioned on BLOG PARTY, the track is inspired by the main character in the Bret Easton Ellis cult novel, 'Less Than Zero'.
Recorded by unreal_andy from A.N.D.
Labels: Audio
¶ 3:07 PM 16 comments links to this post
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Fraternising with the NME
There's a big news feature in this week's NME on the new album, including a first listen to four of the new tracks:
'A Prayer To The Lord': An industrial rhythm and choral sounds open this huge-sounding song, which proceeds through massed backing vocals and some highly-complicated drumming to resolve itself in a very beautiful, synth-sodden conclusion.
'Hunting For Witches': This intense song begins with the sound of someone twirling through a radio dial before Okereke announces: "I'm sitting on the roof of my home with a shotgun". The angry lyric continues: "The Daily Mail says that the enemy's among us/Stealing our women and taking our jobs".
'On': Sexy, cold and druggy, this is several steps on from 'This Modern Love', the 'Silent Alarm' song it most resembles. Okereke sings about "a certain cleanliness and clarity" before adding "you make my tongue loose" over lavish strings and feedback.
'It Started In An Afternoon': Featuring electronically treated vocals which make Okereke sound female, this song sounds as confident and epically uplifting as U2 and boasts a sparklingly catchy guitar line.
Also, in a V Festival preview article, Kele describes 'Uniform' as "huge", saying that he recorded around 100 vocals tracks for it, and that everyone else sings on it too. (Even Russell?!)
The new material is "dark, bigger and quite abrasive" with "a lot of interplay and a lot of detail"...the album is going to reward repeated listenings. The lyrical content is more personal to Kele this time around...'Where Is Home?' deals with the idea of being a second-generation black person in this country and other inspiration comes from the London bombings and the fatal stabbing of Kele's 18-year-old cousin, Christopher Alaneme, in a racist attack.
Speaking about the ambitious nature of Bloc Party's new sound, Kele says: "It's not enough for me just being a four-piece rock band. You're only limited by your imagination in this industry and when you realise that, that's when classic things can happen."
The article ends with the mention of a UK tour later this year to give people a chance to hear the new songs.
There's a big news feature in this week's NME on the new album, including a first listen to four of the new tracks:
'A Prayer To The Lord': An industrial rhythm and choral sounds open this huge-sounding song, which proceeds through massed backing vocals and some highly-complicated drumming to resolve itself in a very beautiful, synth-sodden conclusion.
'Hunting For Witches': This intense song begins with the sound of someone twirling through a radio dial before Okereke announces: "I'm sitting on the roof of my home with a shotgun". The angry lyric continues: "The Daily Mail says that the enemy's among us/Stealing our women and taking our jobs".
'On': Sexy, cold and druggy, this is several steps on from 'This Modern Love', the 'Silent Alarm' song it most resembles. Okereke sings about "a certain cleanliness and clarity" before adding "you make my tongue loose" over lavish strings and feedback.
'It Started In An Afternoon': Featuring electronically treated vocals which make Okereke sound female, this song sounds as confident and epically uplifting as U2 and boasts a sparklingly catchy guitar line.
Also, in a V Festival preview article, Kele describes 'Uniform' as "huge", saying that he recorded around 100 vocals tracks for it, and that everyone else sings on it too. (Even Russell?!)
The new material is "dark, bigger and quite abrasive" with "a lot of interplay and a lot of detail"...the album is going to reward repeated listenings. The lyrical content is more personal to Kele this time around...'Where Is Home?' deals with the idea of being a second-generation black person in this country and other inspiration comes from the London bombings and the fatal stabbing of Kele's 18-year-old cousin, Christopher Alaneme, in a racist attack.
Speaking about the ambitious nature of Bloc Party's new sound, Kele says: "It's not enough for me just being a four-piece rock band. You're only limited by your imagination in this industry and when you realise that, that's when classic things can happen."
The article ends with the mention of a UK tour later this year to give people a chance to hear the new songs.
Labels: A_Weekend_In_The_City, Press
¶ 11:11 AM 6 comments links to this post
Monday, August 14, 2006
The League of International Super Best Friends
As if playing bass in Bloc Party wasn't enough, Gordy Moakes has been keeping busy with 'The League of International Super Best Friends'...a special collaboration with members of YOURCODENAMEIS:MILO.
The first fruits of their labour will soon be ripe for picking...TLOISBF have recorded a version of the Cable song, 'Do The Tube', which will appear on the 'Souvenir - A Tribute to Cable' album, released in late October by Signature Tune Records. The cover will be available to stream in advance from Myspace in early October. Nope, I had no idea who Cable were either. God Bless Wikipedia!
Secondly, the much anticipated YCNI:M sessions album (first mentioned on BLOG PARTY back in February), which will also feature TLOISBF (arrgh, I've gone acronym crazy!), now has a title...'Print Is Dead'. Keep posted for a release date/tracklisting!
As if playing bass in Bloc Party wasn't enough, Gordy Moakes has been keeping busy with 'The League of International Super Best Friends'...a special collaboration with members of YOURCODENAMEIS:MILO.
The first fruits of their labour will soon be ripe for picking...TLOISBF have recorded a version of the Cable song, 'Do The Tube', which will appear on the 'Souvenir - A Tribute to Cable' album, released in late October by Signature Tune Records. The cover will be available to stream in advance from Myspace in early October. Nope, I had no idea who Cable were either. God Bless Wikipedia!
Secondly, the much anticipated YCNI:M sessions album (first mentioned on BLOG PARTY back in February), which will also feature TLOISBF (arrgh, I've gone acronym crazy!), now has a title...'Print Is Dead'. Keep posted for a release date/tracklisting!
Labels: Other_releases
¶ 2:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Anyone can play (bass) guitar
Hello everyone. My name is Kevin Greene and I am currently in the midst of a project to revamp BlocParty.net’s “tab” section. For anyone who doesn’t know, tablature is a method of transcribing music for an instrument (most commonly guitar and bass) using fret and string numbers rather than notes. Many of the tabs for Bloc Party’s songs under the “tab” section of the website are links to outside tab sites with generic names like “Ultimate Guitar”. I frankly find these sites to be terribly unreliable, especially for music as complex as Bloc Party’s.
Hello everyone. My name is Kevin Greene and I am currently in the midst of a project to revamp BlocParty.net’s “tab” section. For anyone who doesn’t know, tablature is a method of transcribing music for an instrument (most commonly guitar and bass) using fret and string numbers rather than notes. Many of the tabs for Bloc Party’s songs under the “tab” section of the website are links to outside tab sites with generic names like “Ultimate Guitar”. I frankly find these sites to be terribly unreliable, especially for music as complex as Bloc Party’s.
I am a bass player by nature so my first goal is to get versions up of all the bass parts for Bloc Party’s songs, most likely including unreleased and old songs. The electric guitar aspect will be quite a bit more difficult and some songs I may just not be able to do at all, due to various effects on the guitars and the mix in general on Bloc Party’s album that often puts the guitar work in the background. More Information
So keep your eyes open for new accurate Bloc Party tabs!
To start you off:
'Banquet' bass tab
'Plans (Acoustic Version)' guitar tab
Labels: Random
¶ 10:53 PM 2 comments links to this post
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Fan review...Berkeley Greek Theatre, 04.08.06
Gig: 04.08.06 - Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre
Review: Nathan Tucker
The show began at 6:30pm, and Mew started their set just as my companions and I entered the Greek with plenty of daylight left. They seemed tight, and people reacted well, which was nice to see. The next band, Two Gallants, was also very good. By the time Broken Social Scene took the stage, it was finally getting dark, and they were excellent, as I expected. And then, after the scurry of roadies had died down, Bloc Party came on. They opened with 'Waiting for the 7.18', as I thought they would, and it worked very well, better than on some of the shoddy bootlegs I have.
Tuning his guitar, Kele announced proudly that this was the group's largest ever headlining gig and that to celebrate, we would all do the wave, which is apparently called the “Mexican wave” in England. Kele’s charisma and charm as a frontman is best described by one of the friends with whom I attended the show, walking down the street afterwards arm in arm with his girlfriend: “Kele Okereke? Oh I’d hit that. I’d hit that in a second!”.
The old songs were great, almost drowned out by the audience singing along, and the new songs were excellent, very tight and the crowd loved them. After 'Helicopter', the band went off stage. Knowing an encore was coming, the crowd was as loud as ever, chants of “more, more…” weaving in and out of cheers and murmurs. When Bloc Party finally came back on, they started with a new song, which, according to the slightly ripped setlist that my friend was handed by Kele after the show, is called 'Blue Moon'. During 'So Here We Are', Broken Social Scene singer and guitarist Kevin Drew came on with his wine glass raised, as if in toast to Bloc Party, to join Kele in singing “I figured it out”.
Gig: 04.08.06 - Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre
Review: Nathan Tucker
The show began at 6:30pm, and Mew started their set just as my companions and I entered the Greek with plenty of daylight left. They seemed tight, and people reacted well, which was nice to see. The next band, Two Gallants, was also very good. By the time Broken Social Scene took the stage, it was finally getting dark, and they were excellent, as I expected. And then, after the scurry of roadies had died down, Bloc Party came on. They opened with 'Waiting for the 7.18', as I thought they would, and it worked very well, better than on some of the shoddy bootlegs I have.
Tuning his guitar, Kele announced proudly that this was the group's largest ever headlining gig and that to celebrate, we would all do the wave, which is apparently called the “Mexican wave” in England. Kele’s charisma and charm as a frontman is best described by one of the friends with whom I attended the show, walking down the street afterwards arm in arm with his girlfriend: “Kele Okereke? Oh I’d hit that. I’d hit that in a second!”.
The old songs were great, almost drowned out by the audience singing along, and the new songs were excellent, very tight and the crowd loved them. After 'Helicopter', the band went off stage. Knowing an encore was coming, the crowd was as loud as ever, chants of “more, more…” weaving in and out of cheers and murmurs. When Bloc Party finally came back on, they started with a new song, which, according to the slightly ripped setlist that my friend was handed by Kele after the show, is called 'Blue Moon'. During 'So Here We Are', Broken Social Scene singer and guitarist Kevin Drew came on with his wine glass raised, as if in toast to Bloc Party, to join Kele in singing “I figured it out”.During 'Price of Gasoline', Kele meandered around the stage, putting Russell in a headlock and dragging him around for a bit during one of the verses. They closed with 'The Pioneers', and the final repetitions of “we will not be the last” sent the crowd crazy. Drumsticks were thrown, water bottles tossed, and setlists ripped from the stage and handed out to the fans in the very front. It was without doubt the best show I’ve ever been to.
Setlist: Waiting For The 7:18 / Positive Tension / Banquet / Blue Light / She's Hearing Voices / Hunting for Witches / This Modern Love / Like Eating Glass / Little Thoughts / Helicopter [encore] Blue Moon (England) / Price of Gasoline / So Here We Are / The Pioneers
Labels: Gig_reviews, Setlists
¶ 11:17 PM 6 comments links to this post
Fan review...The Grove of Anaheim, 01.08.06
Gig: 01.08.06 - Anaheim, CA - The Grove of Anaheim
Photo and review: Nathan Hawelu
The show itself started slowly with Mew making their 45-minute set seem to last forever. I felt bad for them considering a lot of people were shouting “Bloc Party!”. Mew finished and their roadies disbanded their gear. After the guitar techs finished up, Bloc Party promptly made their way to the stage.
It seems they have started all this tour with 'Waiting For The 7:18' and so they started. Kele bumped the mic with his lip, thus making him bleed while he sang 'Positive Tension'. The band played every song so perfectly and in such harmony I wondered if this was real. Kele’s antics on stage are becoming more and more hilarious. He jumped around and did a prance-type walk that reminded me of the late David Lee Roth. Russell did not look up much from his cropped hairline. Matt took off his shirt after a couple of songs and Gordon sipped his beer from a plastic cup. Though I can’t remember what song it was, Gordon played Matt’s cymbals, then dragged his bass across the stage floor. Countless fans shouted "Skeleton" and Kele said, "What...what's this 'Skeleton' you're speaking of?" They continued their set with the crowd singing every song word for word. There were some crowd surfers that made themselves a nuisance, but did not make the show anything less than spectacular.
The band finished their set and left. The crowd was quite confused, for we did not know if they would play an encore. The lighting did not come back on so no-one moved out of the venue. Slowly the band started to come back out. Just as that happened I threw onto the stage a letter that I wrote personally to Kele. I went in a group of about 14 people and we were all near each other up against the rail blocking the stage, shouting to him to look on the stage monitor. He looked very puzzled and bent over to check the space between the stage and the rail, came back up and shrugged his shoulders. He got somewhat frustrated, came over to the edge of the stage to put the mic into one of my companion's hands and she told him where it was. Kele found the letter, said he loved presents and put the letter to his heart then into his back pocket. He asked my name and some stupid jock kid near me tried to take credit for throwing it up there. Luckily I was with so many people who knew what my mission was that they all shouted “NATHAN” and Kele said “Thank you, Nathan”. He played the whole encore with my letter in his back pocket and held the hands of a couple of crowd surfers during the final chorus of 'The Pioneers'...ending the show beautifully.
Setlist: Waiting For The 7:18 / Positive Tension / Banquet / Blue Light / She's Hearing Voices / Hunting for Witches / This Modern Love / Like Eating Glass / So Here We Are / Helicopter [encore] Price of Gasoline / Little Thoughts / England / The Pioneers
Gig: 01.08.06 - Anaheim, CA - The Grove of Anaheim
Photo and review: Nathan Hawelu
The show itself started slowly with Mew making their 45-minute set seem to last forever. I felt bad for them considering a lot of people were shouting “Bloc Party!”. Mew finished and their roadies disbanded their gear. After the guitar techs finished up, Bloc Party promptly made their way to the stage.
It seems they have started all this tour with 'Waiting For The 7:18' and so they started. Kele bumped the mic with his lip, thus making him bleed while he sang 'Positive Tension'. The band played every song so perfectly and in such harmony I wondered if this was real. Kele’s antics on stage are becoming more and more hilarious. He jumped around and did a prance-type walk that reminded me of the late David Lee Roth. Russell did not look up much from his cropped hairline. Matt took off his shirt after a couple of songs and Gordon sipped his beer from a plastic cup. Though I can’t remember what song it was, Gordon played Matt’s cymbals, then dragged his bass across the stage floor. Countless fans shouted "Skeleton" and Kele said, "What...what's this 'Skeleton' you're speaking of?" They continued their set with the crowd singing every song word for word. There were some crowd surfers that made themselves a nuisance, but did not make the show anything less than spectacular.
The band finished their set and left. The crowd was quite confused, for we did not know if they would play an encore. The lighting did not come back on so no-one moved out of the venue. Slowly the band started to come back out. Just as that happened I threw onto the stage a letter that I wrote personally to Kele. I went in a group of about 14 people and we were all near each other up against the rail blocking the stage, shouting to him to look on the stage monitor. He looked very puzzled and bent over to check the space between the stage and the rail, came back up and shrugged his shoulders. He got somewhat frustrated, came over to the edge of the stage to put the mic into one of my companion's hands and she told him where it was. Kele found the letter, said he loved presents and put the letter to his heart then into his back pocket. He asked my name and some stupid jock kid near me tried to take credit for throwing it up there. Luckily I was with so many people who knew what my mission was that they all shouted “NATHAN” and Kele said “Thank you, Nathan”. He played the whole encore with my letter in his back pocket and held the hands of a couple of crowd surfers during the final chorus of 'The Pioneers'...ending the show beautifully.Setlist: Waiting For The 7:18 / Positive Tension / Banquet / Blue Light / She's Hearing Voices / Hunting for Witches / This Modern Love / Like Eating Glass / So Here We Are / Helicopter [encore] Price of Gasoline / Little Thoughts / England / The Pioneers
Labels: Gig_reviews, Setlists
¶ 10:28 AM 7 comments links to this post
Monday, August 07, 2006
Dance Dance
In recent interviews, Bloc Party have distanced themselves from the dance-punk movement which they helped to create. But...it looks like the band have re-embraced the medium of dance, albeit in a very different fashion. One of the new songs set for inclusion on album number two takes its inspiration from a dance that originated in Spain in the late 18th century...the bolero.
Originally called 'The Bolero', the title of the new song has since been changed to 'A Prayer To The Lord'. Speaking to AOL Music, Kele had this to say about the track: "It's gonna shock a lot of people. It's about dancing and passion and the main feature is stomping [and] hand claps, which is one of the signature features of the bolero dance."
To make things even more interesting, Kele was influenced by Busta Rhymes: "The initial idea came from watching the Busta Rhymes video for 'Touch It', where there are these young majorettes that are going through this kind of cheer pattern. I thought that was one of the most amazing things I'd heard, and I wanted to write a song that revolved around that sort of idea." Watch it here.
Whether the bolero will catch on across the nation's indie dancefloors remains to be seen. Maybe this will spark a revival of traditional dance throughout alternative music. Coming soon...the Kaiser Chiefs incorporate Russian Cossack dancing into their live show and Thom Yorke announces his profound love of the Venezuelan waltz. Get thee to the local ballroom!
In recent interviews, Bloc Party have distanced themselves from the dance-punk movement which they helped to create. But...it looks like the band have re-embraced the medium of dance, albeit in a very different fashion. One of the new songs set for inclusion on album number two takes its inspiration from a dance that originated in Spain in the late 18th century...the bolero.
Originally called 'The Bolero', the title of the new song has since been changed to 'A Prayer To The Lord'. Speaking to AOL Music, Kele had this to say about the track: "It's gonna shock a lot of people. It's about dancing and passion and the main feature is stomping [and] hand claps, which is one of the signature features of the bolero dance."
To make things even more interesting, Kele was influenced by Busta Rhymes: "The initial idea came from watching the Busta Rhymes video for 'Touch It', where there are these young majorettes that are going through this kind of cheer pattern. I thought that was one of the most amazing things I'd heard, and I wanted to write a song that revolved around that sort of idea." Watch it here.
Whether the bolero will catch on across the nation's indie dancefloors remains to be seen. Maybe this will spark a revival of traditional dance throughout alternative music. Coming soon...the Kaiser Chiefs incorporate Russian Cossack dancing into their live show and Thom Yorke announces his profound love of the Venezuelan waltz. Get thee to the local ballroom!
Labels: A_Weekend_In_The_City, Press
¶ 6:46 PM 0 comments links to this post
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Fan review...Ogden Theatre, 31.07.06
Gig: 31.07.06 - Denver, Colorado - Ogden Theatre
Photo and review: Christian Allen
I had just gotten back from California the morning of the concert, and spent all day blasting any and all Bloc Party songs I had. It didn’t matter what, be it 'England', or 'Helicopter', or even my ultra-shoddy bootleg of 'Hunting For Witches'. I was basically on a cloud.
So we went. My brother and I, just the two of us. We arrived at the Ogden Theatre about an hour before door time and there were only two groups of people already there. Thank God. While it was the longest hour of my life, the feelings of anticipation easily destroyed any feelings of boredom. We could hear, through the huge set of doors, Bloc Party and the opening act Mew doing their sound check. And finally, the doors were opened. After a rather lengthy discussion with the theatre’s manager about me getting in (it was a 16+ show and I’m only 14), we got in. We ran up to the very front, and sure enough got front row.
Mew came on about an hour afterward. They were very solid, had a unique sound, captivated me and at the same time got me even more excited for Bloc Party. When they left the stage I was impressed yet still happy that Bloc Party was even closer. So after waiting for a little while, and noticing the temperature in the theatre rising to quite a generous one, the lights dimmed, and the amazing four came on.
I could only see their silhouettes through all the fog and the odd lighting, and the first thing that came to my mind was: “Wow, Kele’s hair looks even crazier in person!”. I had a good idea of what they were going to be playing, as I had been following their every move and been reading tons of reviews of the previous concerts on this tour. So I wasn’t really surprised when the opening song was 'Waiting For The 7:18'. It was an amazing song. As a drummer, I had a hell of a lot of fun just watching Matt Tong’s every move. It was surreal, the whole song. Bloc Party’s energy was undeniable. They're definitely the most danceable band I’ve ever seen. The crowd constantly shouting back the words, the sweat running down everyone’s faces...it was amazing. Just amazing.
The encore was even better. They played one of their more rarely-played new songs, 'Wet' (or, I should say, 'On'... blech). It was one of the more anthemy songs by Bloc Party, and it's beauty almost brought tears to my eyes. They closed with 'The Pioneers', in which Kele looked like he was going to collapse on stage. But despite his fatigue, he sang his heart out.
When they left, I felt hurt. But I knew that great things don’t last. And I was happy to know that I got to see my favourite band in concert, putting on the best show I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen some big acts. Coldplay, U2, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers...I enjoyed Bloc Party more than all of those bands combined. In the end I couldn’t have been happier. It was a perfect show, and a perfect night.
God Bless Bloc Party.
Setlist: Waiting For The 7:18 / Positive Tension / Banquet / Blue Light / She's Hearing Voices / Uniform / This Modern Love / Like Eating Glass / Little Thoughts / Helicopter [encore] Wet / Price of Gasoline / So Here We Are / The Pioneers
Gig: 31.07.06 - Denver, Colorado - Ogden Theatre
Photo and review: Christian Allen
I had just gotten back from California the morning of the concert, and spent all day blasting any and all Bloc Party songs I had. It didn’t matter what, be it 'England', or 'Helicopter', or even my ultra-shoddy bootleg of 'Hunting For Witches'. I was basically on a cloud.
So we went. My brother and I, just the two of us. We arrived at the Ogden Theatre about an hour before door time and there were only two groups of people already there. Thank God. While it was the longest hour of my life, the feelings of anticipation easily destroyed any feelings of boredom. We could hear, through the huge set of doors, Bloc Party and the opening act Mew doing their sound check. And finally, the doors were opened. After a rather lengthy discussion with the theatre’s manager about me getting in (it was a 16+ show and I’m only 14), we got in. We ran up to the very front, and sure enough got front row.
Mew came on about an hour afterward. They were very solid, had a unique sound, captivated me and at the same time got me even more excited for Bloc Party. When they left the stage I was impressed yet still happy that Bloc Party was even closer. So after waiting for a little while, and noticing the temperature in the theatre rising to quite a generous one, the lights dimmed, and the amazing four came on.
I could only see their silhouettes through all the fog and the odd lighting, and the first thing that came to my mind was: “Wow, Kele’s hair looks even crazier in person!”. I had a good idea of what they were going to be playing, as I had been following their every move and been reading tons of reviews of the previous concerts on this tour. So I wasn’t really surprised when the opening song was 'Waiting For The 7:18'. It was an amazing song. As a drummer, I had a hell of a lot of fun just watching Matt Tong’s every move. It was surreal, the whole song. Bloc Party’s energy was undeniable. They're definitely the most danceable band I’ve ever seen. The crowd constantly shouting back the words, the sweat running down everyone’s faces...it was amazing. Just amazing.
The encore was even better. They played one of their more rarely-played new songs, 'Wet' (or, I should say, 'On'... blech). It was one of the more anthemy songs by Bloc Party, and it's beauty almost brought tears to my eyes. They closed with 'The Pioneers', in which Kele looked like he was going to collapse on stage. But despite his fatigue, he sang his heart out.When they left, I felt hurt. But I knew that great things don’t last. And I was happy to know that I got to see my favourite band in concert, putting on the best show I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen some big acts. Coldplay, U2, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers...I enjoyed Bloc Party more than all of those bands combined. In the end I couldn’t have been happier. It was a perfect show, and a perfect night.
God Bless Bloc Party.
Setlist: Waiting For The 7:18 / Positive Tension / Banquet / Blue Light / She's Hearing Voices / Uniform / This Modern Love / Like Eating Glass / Little Thoughts / Helicopter [encore] Wet / Price of Gasoline / So Here We Are / The Pioneers
Labels: Gig_reviews, Setlists
¶ 9:47 PM 1 comments links to this post
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Almost Famous
Here's three really old Bloc Party gig videos retrieved from the dusty archives of BlocParty.net. Sorry about the guy whose head sometimes blocks the picture. The cameraman ashed on him when he wasn't looking.
I'm not sure which gig these were filmed at, but they date back to 2004 at the latest (judging by the short haircuts on show and the 'Compliments' prototype they play, which comes complete with a gorgeous spoken word refrain).
'American Kids'
'An Act Of Contrition'
'Compliments'
Here's three really old Bloc Party gig videos retrieved from the dusty archives of BlocParty.net. Sorry about the guy whose head sometimes blocks the picture. The cameraman ashed on him when he wasn't looking.
I'm not sure which gig these were filmed at, but they date back to 2004 at the latest (judging by the short haircuts on show and the 'Compliments' prototype they play, which comes complete with a gorgeous spoken word refrain).
'American Kids'
'An Act Of Contrition'
'Compliments'
'Hunting For Witches' live video
Recorded at McCarren Park Pool, 29.07.06
Labels: Videos
¶ 10:12 AM 7 comments links to this post
