Bloc Party...

venue:   Concorde 2 review date:   Sunday, 10 October 2004 photos by:   Marc Gibbons [ intro | page 1 ]

review

It’s fashionable at the moment to view 1979’s new wave era as some kind of year zero. Yup, Bloc Party are another of those bands circling right now that take their cue from the reinvigorated recognition granted to such forerunners as the Gang of Four, Wire, XTC and early Cure. Tonight we’re safely ensconced in the territory of art-rock and punk-funk: all fast-paced, scritchy-scratchy, angular guitars, plaintive vocals and a complete disregard for the slow number.

they are that rare thing in indie
world - a multi-racial band

Less accessible than say, current media darlings Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party are nonetheless a visually arresting group of individuals. Eschewing flashy visuals on screens or the modernist utilitarian look adopted by many of these groups (I’m thinking of Clinic or The Futureheads here) they are that rare thing in indie world: a multi-racial band. They comprise the obligatory skinny white boy, all floppy hair, bones and veins on guitar; the only black singer/guitarist that I can recall in recent years, all geniality and smiles; a bare-chested Asian drummer who provides both the backbone and backbeat of the band, pounding away in the background; and a more subdued, fresh-faced, curly-haired bass player adding backing vocals throughout.

With no album to promote as of yet, it’s the familiarity of their three singles that stand out a mile amongst the bulk of their material and which receive the most appreciation from the audience. The punk thrash and plaintive vocals of debut ‘She’s Hearing Voices’ is dropped early in the set, followed shortly by the more subtle tones and chugging rhythms of ‘Little Thoughts’.

It’s one of the songs of
the year and I love it

But it’s the utterly sublime ‘Banquet’ that I’m anticipating this evening. And it doesn’t disappoint. Played live, it’s stripped of its deep baritone Fun Boy Three-esque “aah, aah" punctuation and comes across a lot rawer than the studio version, both guitarists standing head to head to dole out the call and response guitars of the song. It’s one of the songs of the year and I love it. They end the set with it, claiming it’s their “last song".

Of course, due to the conventions of gigging, it plainly isn’t going to be their last and they re-emerge to tackle a three-song encore. Trouble is, nothing they have left can quite match up to ‘Banquet’ and, as in June, the second half ends on a more subdued note which just can’t match up to the victory of the first.

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about Concorde 2

Okay, so you may have to walk a bit to reach it... but that just makes it that little bit more exclusive doesn't it! Located along Madeira Drive, the Concorde 2 is a sizeable venue with a huge variety of clubnights and bands on each month. Some top names, some great festivals, World Music... you name it. If you can't find something to pique your interest then you might as well pack your bags and head for Eastbourne... The next Concorde 2 date for your diary: Tuesday, 7th October Sebastein Tellier + Support Click for more info and complete listings for Concorde 2