Bloc Party
Where: Stoke Victoria Hall
When: 14th October 2009
The Grammatics were never going to get an easy ride, the seemingly hostile Stoke audience came for Bloc party (the wealth of branded t-shirts gave it away) so not even a band with such gleaming potential as the Grammatics could captivate this stubborn set of teenagers and fan-boys. The Leeds four-piece delivered an overwhelmingly competent set both strong in sound and visual style clearly showing a more developed and more mature sound than many of their peers who have been in the game just as long. Front man Owen Brindley delivers enough passion and stage-presence to hold a venue this size on his own and it’s unfortunate that tonight the crowd aren’t more receptive to their unconventional mix of tender vocals and razor-sharp cello-driven choruses that is brilliantly decorated with a seedy dose of dirty synth-based electronica. The saying goes a workman always blames his tools, however tonight the tools themselves were most definitely the ones at fault.
Bloc Party are a perfect example of British indie done well; unique, intelligent while at the same time perfect for screaming your head off while you jump around the room manically. Tonight the band (who many believe put in questionable performances at this years Reading and Leeds festivals) appear laid-back, chatty and up for a good time; this mood is infectious and as such creates to one of the best gig atmospheres this reviewer has ever experienced. With a set-list taking from all three of their studio albums the band show exactly how they got where they are today. Every single track of the set is performed note-perfect and with the same energy and passion as if they were playing each song to an audience for the very first time. Front man Kele Okereke is his usual enigmatic self, taunting the crowd for not cheering loud enough and causing mild chaos by climbing up from the side of the stage into the raised circle seating section whilst stealing a staff member’s waistcoat in the process. The gig truly had something for every Bloc Party fan with tracks like ‘Mercury’ demonstrating perfectly the bands ability to produce an athemic high energy crowd pleaser whilst tracks like ‘Waiting for the 7:18’ show Bloc Party’s versatility as performers and saw lighters rose aloft accordingly.
With rumours surrounding the band about their future, the bands final encore feels very much like the end, they seem in such a fantastic place at the moment, totally carefree and at the top of their game. It seems a shame for them to leave it all now, let’s hope this rumoured long break they are taking affords them the chance to make a welcome return as well.
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