Bloc Party

The SECC isn't a great venue. I think it's too big so that sound doesn't carry well, meaning instead of listening to music the audience often find themselves listening to noise. This is why, although I'm a Bloc Party fan, I was not excited about this gig. I thought in such a big venue Bloc Party's presence would diminish and they would not be able to convince the audience to enjoy themselves as much as they would in a smaller venue. As the gig began, I watched on with caution.

	"one minute into the gig, the peace was disturbed and all hell brook loose with one of the year's best guitar riffs bursting from the stage"

'Song for Clay (Disappear Here)' got the night off to a adrenaline-filled start. Singer Kele Okereke stood centre stage with a spotlight shining down upon him. All was still as Kele sang along to his slow guitar strumming, the rest of the band waiting to join in. For those in the audience who had heard Bloc Party's second album ('A Weekend In The City') knew the calmness would not last. Surely enough, one minute into the gig, the peace was disturbed and all hell brook loose with one of the year's best guitar riffs bursting from the stage joined by Matt Tong's frantic drumming. The band had started the gig as they meant to go on as they continued to plough through their back catalogue with energy and style.

Bloc Party work well together – the guitar lines entangle to create hypnotic overlaps whilst Tong's drumming and Gordon Moake's bass make a perfect rhythm section. However, despite their ability to compliment each other's playing it is the personality of Kele that stars. As a performer he begs you to watch him. He will be full of wide-eyed intensity one second then bursting into fits of laughter the next. It is clear that he loves what he does. When was the last time you saw a singer hold a smile throughout an entire song (not to mention one called 'Hunting for Witches')? He seems to be a genuinely nice guy too with a quick sense of humour (“If this is what stadium tours are like then our next album will sound like Aerosmith.”) and a down-to-earth warmth as he took a minute out to thank the woman who handed their demo to Steve Lamacq and set them on the way to a record deal.

Kele's star turn and the band's wall of sound combined to great effect towards the end of the set by playing their most popular songs - 'So Here We Are', 'Helicopter', new single 'Flux' and my gig highlight 'She's Hearing Voices'. During this song I found myself somewhere towards the front of the audience after initially holding back to view the gig from a distance. However, the more I watched the more I wanted to throw myself in amongst the crowd. The band had lured me to the front just in time for Kele to plunge into the audience during the closing of the set. It was a frenzy of a final song, not to mention a hellish amount of fun.

Bloc Party disappeared off into the night to continue their final tour of the year. I walked away, slightly sweaty, realising I probably wouldn't rate this as the best gig of my life or the best gig of the year. It wouldn't be a pivotal moment that I would remember for years to come. But that didn't matter. Bloc Party had put on a great show and I'd found myself, against previous judgement, jumping around in the crowd like an idiot. The fun they have on stage is clearly infectious.

FUTURE GIGS