Bloc Party @ The Great Hall, Cardiff University
Date: 6th February 2007
Support: Metric
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There's absolutely no mistaking, that without even a shred of doubt, Bloc Party are officially a big deal. As the hoards of expectant fans fill the Great Hall this evening there's a significant buzz in the air, and for good reason. Not only do these almost instantly sold out dates mark the return to the live arena after not an inconsiderable absence, new and much anticipated sophomore long player 'A Weekend in the City' has just been released to almost universal critical acclaim, and currently sits atop the UK album chart; in the process usurping pop goblin Mika from poll position. All in days work for these London boys then; but with such a reputation somewhat proceeding them, and a tag as the next great white hope for British music being slung rather prematurely around their necks from every corner of the media, all in attendance this evening are expecting something special. Quite simply, anything less than exceptional is just not good enough.
Opening for a band on the brink of the really-big time is no easy task, as Canadian four piece Metric will no doubt attest. Things start well enough, with the bands brand of hooky electro rock soon injecting life into the largely passive crowd by immediately getting a few feet tapping and hips shaking. Unfortunately for fans and band alike, this promising start is just about as good as it gets, with muddy sound soon rendering the entire first half of the set a lost cause. When normal service is resumed however, the band seem to have been knocked off their stride by the technical difficulties, and this, combined with some rather sloppy playing means the set struggles to gain any sense of purpose or momentum, one song rather blending into the next without any moments of real note. Despite this, mesmerically beautiful front woman and undoubted star of the show Emily Haines, manages to keep every pair of eyes that haven't already wandered, fixed squarely on her; dancing, screaming and rattling away at her keyboard like a woman possessed, her performance tonight is nothing short of explosive. Despite her best efforts to incite something more than polite applause from the crowd, it's clear that there is, in reality, only one reason people are here. If you don't already know what I'm talking about, that reason is Bloc Party; and you're reading the wrong review.
As soon as the lights go down in The Great Hall and the gospel refrains of opening number, and current single 'The Prayer' ring out, excitement and temperature levels spontaneously treble and any sort of personal space you had before is unapologetically invaded as everyone fights to get a better view of their returning heroes. “ Hello. We're called Bloc Party” is hardly the most bombastic and rousing of introductions from the ever smiling Kele, but when band and audience are having as good a time as this, who needs words? From this point on, the atmosphere in the room never even threatens to drop below totally eruptive, and the band, seemingly feeding off the unlimited energy being propelled their way, are categorically on fire tonight. Half man, half metronome drum demi-god Matt Tongs skin work is impressive to say the least during newbie 'Waiting for the 7:18', while Russell; hiding away behind that fringe consistently coaxes beautifully fragile soundscapes from his guitar during 'This modern love' to perfectly compliment the choir boy harmonies of Gordon and Kele.
It is, of course, big hitting singles 'Banquet' and 'Helicopter' that get the biggest response, instigating a floor shaking bout of pogoing that probably shook a few foundations down the road in Newport. Despite the lofty chart position of 'A Weekend....' somewhat surprisingly we only get five songs from it, the majority being culled from 'Silent Alarm'. Not that such details matter a jot to a room full of students looking for nothing more than a sing a long and a good time, and why should it? Although some could and undoubtedly will accuse Bloc Party of playing it safe tonight, there's no doubting this bands credentials as a live act, and regardless of the fact that they've yet to take that step to greatness that they've been threatening to ever since they first filled our ears, they're certainly right out there on the edge. Someone give them a push.
Pic courtesy of Nikie McGowan
For more information you can visit: http://www.blocparty.com
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