Monday, August 25, 2008

Leeds Festival, 24.08.08

Review from NME.com...

Bloc Party revealed their ambition to headline Reading And Leeds Festival during their set on the Main Stage at Leeds Festival tonight. "This is the last time you'll see us for a while. Hopefully next time you see us at this festival we'll be headlining," singer Kele Okereke told the crowd before final song 'Helicopter'. Okereke also bemoaned the subdued crowd, complaining: "I know it's a Sunday night, but you must have it in you to go crazy. Let's not draw on the negatives, though, eh?"

The singer's mood lightened when he later admitted: "We don't normally enjoy Leeds as much as this, thanks for making us enjoy it tonight." The band played a similar set to their appearance at Reading Festival last night, including two tracks - 'One Month Off' and 'Mercury' - from new album 'Intimacy'.

Daniel Lindegren once again stood in on bass for Gordon Moakes, who is on extended paternity leave from the band. Before 'One Month Off' Okereke encouraged the crowd to get loved up, saying: "If you've met someone at the festival, and they're stood next to you now, give them a squeeze,". Fan favourites 'So Here We Are', 'Flux' and 'Banquet' were also aired in the set, which concluded with 'Helicopter'.

[Setlist]

Mercury / Hunting For Witches / Song For Clay (Disappear Here) / Banquet / Two More Years / One Month Off / This Modern Love / The Prayer / So Here We Are / Like Eating Glass / Flux / Helicopter

Labels: Gig_reviews, Setlists, Tour

¶ 3:36 PM 0 comments links to this post

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Reading Festival, 23.08.08

Review from NME.com...

Bloc Party played Reading Festival tonight just days after releasing third album 'Intimacy'. The band released the album as a download on Thursday, making their Main Stage appearance their first gig since it became available. Marking the occasion, frontman Kele Okereke started the show with a short speech saying it had been a few weeks of "new members, new babies and a new record" - referring to bassist Gordon Moakes, who is on extended paternity leave and his stand-in Daniel Lindegren - before adding that "I have one more thing to say", and broke into the opening line of recent single 'Mercury'.

They later played 'One Month Off' from the new album, before dedicating 'This Modern Love' to their absent bandmate. "We'd like to dedicate our next song to Gordon our usual bass player," declared Okereke. "I have no doubt he'll be watching online, can we have a big hi to Gordon and his new baby Scarlet." A series of "Gordon" chants followed from the crowd with the singer noting "he'll love that".

However, ahead of 'So Here We Are', Okereke had to rein in his audience, after the big screens picked out a girl on someone's shoulder and the crowd chanted for her to take her top off. "Come on," cautioned the singer, "this is still a Bloc Party gig," before explaining the band were feeling good about tonight's show after "a bird shat" on their stand-in bassist, which "must be a good luck sign".

"I hope you're having as much fun as we are, you can show that we're all friends here," the singer later told the crowd as he kicked off 'Flux', working the opening lines of Prince's 'I Would Die 4 U' into his own song. With green lasers firing across the site, the band then seemingly wrapped up the set with a frantic version of 'Helicopter'.

However, Bloc Party returned for a rare Reading Festival encore. "Thank you so much, it's a little bit cheeky but we thought we have to play the song that started it all off," explained Okereke who sung the vocals for 'She's Hearing Voices' from the barriers at the front of the crowd.

[Setlist]

Mercury / Hunting For Witches / Song For Clay (Disappear Here) / Banquet / Two More Years / One Month Off / This Modern Love / The Prayer / So Here We Are / Like Eating Glass / I Would Die 4 U (Prince cover) - Flux / Helicopter

She's Hearing Voices

Labels: Gig_reviews, Setlists, Tour

¶ 11:14 PM 5 comments links to this post

Friday, August 08, 2008

New York City, NY - Webster Hall, 07.08.08

[Setlist]

Waiting For The 7.18 / Like Eating Glass / Hunting For Witches / Two More Years / The Prayer / Uniform / Mercury / This Modern Love / Song For Clay (Disappear Here) / Banquet / New song

Positive Tension / Price Of Gasoline / She's Hearing Voices / Helicopter

The untitled new song apparently has lyrics something like..."If you want to be cruel, I can be as cruel as you...fight fire with fire...lies lies lies". No YouTube footage yet though...!

In other new Bloc song news...preview the brand new b-side, 'Idea For A Story', here. It's an electro-fest!