Kele

Whilst Bloc Party remain on hiatus for the time being, frontman Kele has evidently been busy on the dancefloor. Although this new direction has wrong-footed critics and fans alike, it shouldn't have really come as a surprise having listened to Bloc Party's last offering.

As the lights go down, it's not the shy indie kid we've grown accustomed to in recent years that appears on stage; having freed himself from the shackles of compromise, Kele exudes confidence and is evidently a lot happier performing to smaller audiences.

Opening with the defiant 'Walk Tall', it quickly becomes clear that his new material was made for venues such as this, as it sounds so much more impressive here than on record. It's just a shame that only half the room seem aware that there's actually a gig unfolding in front of them.

And therein lies the problem with tonight's performance – a large part of the crowd seems to be under the impression that the focus should be on them tonight. Drenched in Topshop's latest line and far more interested in their own conversations, they only come alive when he unveils a medley of Bloc Party hits, with last year’s single 'One More Chance' being greeted with huge cheers.

New single 'Tenderoni' also manages to spark the lacklustre crowd into life. Yes, it sounds alarmingly similar to Wiley's 'Wearing My Rolex', but it's an uplifting dance anthem which sounds absolutely massive tonight. It's just a shame that the rest of his solo material seems to only interest the front rows.

There are idiotic murmurs amongst the crowd that "it doesn't sound anything like Bloc Party", which sadly sums up the evening as a whole. The moans and groans aren't even justified, as 'Everything You Wanted', which sounds not too dissimilar to Bloc Party's later output, is a definite highlight of the evening, as Kele's soaring and emotive vocals combine perfectly with a ridiculously heavy bassline.

The crowd's interest beings to pick up late on in the set, as Kele takes out time to refer to his 'day job' in Bloc Party, before playing a faithful rendition of their little known track 'Your Visits Are Getting Shorter'. Seemingly all to aware of the struggle he faces to win the crowd over with his solo work, he wisely ends the evening by giving the 'fans' the hit they crave. 'Flux' still sounds as vital and euphoric as it did back in 2007, and does just enough to save the day. However, when his new songs sound so good in a live environment, he shouldn't have to rely on old hits just to keep people interested.

Quite frankly, Kele deserved a lot better than this tonight. Remember when he once sang "East London is a vampire, it sucks the joy right out of me?" Never has a truer word been spoken.

FUTURE GIGS

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