Originally posted by megs:
have bloc party been played on the o.c. or something? stupid o.c. *grumble grumble*
Not yet, but they played SF last night and I'll give a short review.
I was completely hounded outside the club for tickets. Bottom of the Hill holds 275 people, and Bloc Party easily could have doubled that. It's Popscene here tonight and they're playing again tonight - tickets are available day of only and the line will be ridiculous.
The first act was interesting at best. Dance Disaster Movement set up their gear on the floor instead of on stage and the artists ran around screaming in the faces of the fans who were there to see them. They were a little violent at times even, getting a little rowdy with the fans. I feel this practice will be short lived.
The second act was an all female band, Erase Eratta. They were not hot in the slightest, but the bass player played like Les Claypool at times and the drummer shredded. The lead singer was punkish in a lesbian kind of way, and while I didn't care much for the songs, they were decent musicians.
Bloc Party were enrgetic throughout. My favorite comment from the crowd came at the very beginning when an "black X on the left hand" (READ: underage viewer) said "Oh, he's African-American." I said "No, he's British" - completely confused the kid. Anyhow, yes, the lead singer is black.
They played a short set (approx. 35 minutes) before coming out for a 4 song encore. "Banquet" was good, but I think my favorite track was "The Answer," which they ended with. They definetely didn't lack energy, and while some songs are catchy, they don't have a lot of singles material. The drummer was on the verge of going Mitch Mitchell on many occasions but seemed a bit held back by the band, which was disappointing. They play a good mix of music, some dancable, some more mellow, but don't seem to caught up in themselves. The lead singer at least seemed to really enjoy preforming for a crowd and was fine with a little banter from the crowd. Not your typical British pompous indie rock star I guess.
They played (all from memory and not in any order so I'm likely wrong on a couple of occasions) Banquet, Helicopter, The Marshalls are Dead, She's hearing voice, Like eating glass, positive tension, this modern love, the price of gas, so here we are, luno, little thoughts, staying fat, tulips, The Answer.
I thought they were good, not great, better than the Bravery though on the "good not great scale." Well worth the $10, but I don't see myself dropping $25 or $30 to see them again unless the follow up album is brilliant.
