Koko, London 18th December 2005

When Noel Gallagher recently commented on the recent exciting new music Britain has produced particularly over the past year he described Bloc Party amongst others as indie shit. Although this produced another headlining sound bite, it was also an act of desperation and sour faced jealousy on his part. 

Whenever a band makes it, with now boring predictability, Noel and Liam feel threatened and feel the need to hit out, an act as undignified as slagging off your younger brother because he’s achieving something and like it or not Bloc Party amongst others are the younger, newer, exciting siblings of old twats such as the grumpy Gallaghers.

So to a bitterly freezing night in the plush surroundings of Camden Town’s Koko venue, the strains of 900 or so kids singing along to East 17’s ’Stay another day’ welcomes Bloc Party for the final gig of an almighty year and they mean business before packing up for the year to a Christmas of the inevitable pigging out, drunkennes and family arguments.

Where in the past Bloc Party had a tendency to produce ramshackle live shows, a year of relentless touring has resulted in a live show that’s as tight as it is thrilling. Kicking off with a triple whammy of old b-side ‘The marshalls are dead’ funky album track ‘Positive tension’ and classic single ‘Banquet’, they create immediate havoc in a outrageously young crowd frazzled on heat, euphoria and outrageously overpriced beer, luckily their parents were watching from the safety of the balcony with extra money.

The beautifully uplifting and warm way ‘This modern love’, kicks in half way through the track has everyone’s face burst into massive satisfied grins whilst the way they tear into the pounding ‘She’s hearing voices’, the crowd burst into the kind of hardcore moshing and beer throwing you’d expect at a Pantera gig.

Despite a reputation for not enjoying the glory and attention they receive, they all equally own their part of the stage with great presence, singer Kele thrashing around the stage as though his life depended on it, Russell hides face down under his fringe like a younger better looking Johnny Greenwood hypnotized by his guitar, bassist Gordon is the archetypal skinny indie boy all held together by Matt Tongs amazing drumming which manages to combine hard techno influenced rhythms played by the bastard child of New Orders Stephen and Keith Moon proudly bare chested and no muscles.

‘Helicopter’ and gorgeous recent single ‘Two more years’ easily get the best reaction of the night as another frenzy in the mosh pit is created and bars of chocolate are thrown towards Kele whilst singing the refrain ‘doesn’t like chocolate’, well, you do now, the kids have insisted on it.

The finishing salvo of ‘Compliments’, ‘The pioneers’ and ‘The answer’ is truly breathtaking, taking it right down and segueing the tracks with a crescendo of white noise shoegazing straight from Rides classic ‘Nowhere album’ has the old gits loving them more but confuses the kids who are too young to know any better.

Safe to say that Bloc Party ruled North London tonight and with such a brilliant assured performance and the right tunes on their hotly anticipated second album – world domination follows, no question. 9/10.

Words and pictures by Chris Todd