Bloc Party

Last Sunday, I went with Ben to see Bloc Party at Richard’s on Richards (where else?). Because I’ve been very busy at work, I haven’t had a chance to say my piece yet.

Opening for Bloc Party was Erase Errata, who I didn’t know so well, having only heard one track. However, I was not at a disadvantage because Ben, who owns the LP, still didn’t recognize the songs. Despite sounding completely different, they were really, really good. Hard, edgy and yet catchy rock. Like most good bands, they seem to recognize the value of a good pop-hook in a song to pull people in. I’d definitely see them again.

Bloc Party, by contrast, was not so good. It’s not that they were bad, because they weren’t. They just weren’t what I wanted, because like Eraserata, they didn’t sound at all like they do on the album. The album they’re touring behind, Silent Alarm, is amazing. Lusciously produced, every note is clear. And most importantly, several songs feature backing vocals which really add to the sound. Live, all of those aspects were missing: They sounded raw, perhaps even a little unpractised. There were little to no backing vocals, and what little there were just simply didn’t show up in the mix. Now, of course, some of this can be attributed to Richard’s, which often has shitty sound. Curiously, sometimes I really appreciate the rawness of a live show compared to a richly produced album, but this time, it just did not really work for me.

Of course, as (nearly) always, I took some photos of the show, for your enjoyment (well, that’s not entirely true: I take them for my enjoyment, but I like to share, so you get to see them too)

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