Oozing class is one statement that could be made about Bloc Party. Spending 10 years in the same band is some feat (just ask the Gallaghers), yet somehow, deep in their little song-making factory, they still conjure up classic after classic, anthem after anthem. A year after releasing much-criticised album Intimacy, which saw them turn their back on indie and embark on a voyage of discovery through the depths of the electronic formulas, they showed why they have gained such a reputation for producing mammoth spectacles of live music.
There have been rumours aplenty surrounding their future. Okay. They are not splitting up. Kele confirmed it himself; simply, they are just going on a long break to do another album.
They have been accused of selling out by numerous musical critics, but what they definitely did was sell out the newly-refurbished o2 Academy in Birmingham.
Live, they have always been one of the juggernaughts to match. When contended with the shifting rhythms of foot-tapper ‘Banquet’ or the bug-eyed splendour of ‘This Modern Love’ in a venue full of sweaty and odour-inducing bodies, it’s simple to lose yourself in an essence of eccentricity. Even Biko and Talons prove just to be as mind-loosing as their classics.
All evening, frontman Kele Okereke joked about Birmingham not being ready for the ‘pace’ their where going to set; literally gasping for them to keep up. They did. Rip-rawring through opener Halo, they produced something of epic proportions. Oldies such as Banquet and Helicopter would always draw the biggest attention due to their familiar chord-clenching ambience. Whizzing through a hit-laden set list that consisted of nothing more than eminence, they led the bouncing Brummies into a furied-frenzy through a journey beyond something someone on opium could even imagine.
The vibe of their performance is more of a light-hearted affair; Kele jumping into the crowd during Mercury; drummer Matt Tong getting bare-chested and joking about liking boys instead of girls to which Kele replied “There are definitely more men here for you then”.
Nothing short of pure class.
Bloc Party played:
Halo
Positive Tension
Mercury
Biko
Hunting For Witches
Song For Clay
Banquet
Blue Light
Uniform
Little Thoughts
Talons
One More Chance
This Modern Love
The Prayer
Encore:
Ares
Like Eating Glass
Flux
Helicopter
