Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Dance To The Sound Of Sirens


Image by James Arnold, words by Liam Haynes. Bloc Party played Engine Shed, Lincoln on 12/10/09.

To me, Bloc Party are both deliciously timeless and achingly current. Remaining exciting and taut while their post-punk revival brethren, from The Rakes through to Franz Ferdinand, rapidly descended into repetition and old tricks. Now, they've finally come to my doorstep in Lincoln, three albums behind them and mid-way through a month of touring.

But first, the support act. Grammatics have been stellar the last few times I've seen them, and this is no exception. While perhaps not being the perfect support act for Bloc Party's crowd, they showcase how vibrant the Leeds music scene is and their standout tracks such as Murderer and D.I.L.E.M.M.A are as brilliant in a large venue like Engine Shed as they are on record.

Predictably, Bloc Party blow the roof off Engine Shed. From classics such as Helicopter through to the controversial Mercury, they undeniably prove why they're still at the top of their game. Back in a venue of this size they seem perfectly at home, Silent Alarm era material sitting perfectly well alongside newer singles and album tracks. Alas the night would eventually be cut short by the sound of sirens, leaving Flux and who knows what else left to be played another day.

[MP3] Bloc Party - Call The Shots (Girls Aloud cover)
[MP3] Grammatics - Inkjet Lakes (Alt Link)
[MYSPACE] Visit Bloc Party or Grammatics on myspace.