At Earl’s Court

Bloc Party are a London based indie rock band with a very distinctive sound. They recently reformed and have released their forth album imaginatively titled Four. Four does have some of their is a bit stripped back compared to Intimacy, with no synth, but does have their signature delay used throughout. It does feel like a deliberate change in direction after taking a break.

The main support were The Joy Formidable.  They are an energetic mix of catchy indie pop and shoe-gazer soundscapes. Perfect to enjoy at three in the afternoon with a beer in a field. But it was weird seeing them when it was so cold. There was a level of intimacy lost in the size of the venue, but there was a large fan base obviously enjoying themselves at the front.

Bloc Party opened with So He Begins to Lie into Hunting For Witches. They were impressively tight and hand an energy fed the crowd. They played a solid set from start to finish. It’s almost as if they had never taken a break.

There was a good mix of new and old, but a conspicuous lack of anything off Intimacy other than the odd choice of Ares. There were some classics with songs like Banquet and Waiting for the 7:18 getting the crowd young and old singing along.

Some of the new material did stand out against the older material, but their sound is so varied it doesn’t really matter. They finished on Helicopter, very fast and strangely loose compared to the rest of their set. It was a good night and it’s been a while since I’ve been to a gig with as good a light show.