Bloc Party entertained a Tuesday evening’s packed house at the Hollywood Palladium, playing the penultimate leg of a short, 6-stop US tour, performing critically acclaimed 2005 debut, Silent Alarm, in its entirety. Playing beloved albums for the fans can be viewed cynically, a simple ploy to gouge fans of extra cash or a lack of creativity on a band’s behalf, but on the flip side of that thinking, what fan doesn’t like to see a favorite band play their seminal work? It’s a trip down memory lane, and this show was no less for the throngs in attendance, clearly lapping up their favourites. Nostalgia was plenty evident at this performance, the average age of the crowd notably a few years older than would be expected of, say, a modern hip-hop gig.
Taking the unusual approach of playing the tracklisting of the album in reverse order, things started off mellow, building to a raucous crescendo as the evening approached its climax. In front of epilepsy-inducing strobes, and at times barely visible, through a sea of cellphones, to members of the audience at the back of the auditorium, vocalist Kele Okereke was all smiles. The band seeming to have bonded well in their current form, and appeared to relish pleasing the crowd, with frequent banter between songs.
With the bulk of Silent Alarm’s ‘bangers,’ as Okereke would call them, stacked to the front of the album, the energy of crowd built and built, culminating with the strident album opener “Like Eating Glass,” sending the fans into a frenzy. After a few minute’s intermission, the band re-emerged for an encore, Okereke minus hat, and went through five more bangers, the highlight of which was most assuredly “Flux,” taken from their third LP, Intimacy. For the final number, “Ratchet,” Okereke even removed his microphone from its stand, effectively detaching his tether, allowing himself to stomp around the stage, before the band took their bow and vanished backstage.
Set List:
01 – Compliments
02 – Plans
03 – Luno
04 – So Here We Are
05 – Price of Gasoline
06 – The Pioneers
07 – This Modern Love
08 – She’s Hearing Voices
09 – Blue Light
10 – Banquet
11 – Positive Tension
12 – Helicopter
13 – Like Eating Glass
–encore–
14 – Two More Years
15 – Hunting For Witches
16 – The Prayer
17 – Flux
18 – Ratchet
All Photos by Marv Watson