BLOC PARTY
KING TUT’S WAH WAH HUT
GLASGOW (FAN CLUB ONLY
GIG)
SUNDAY 5 MARCH 2006
Here’s something you
don’t see everyday.
As brilliant a venue as
Tut’s is, it’s not often
a band of Bloc Party’s
stature graces this tiny
stage in front of a
handful of extremely
fortunate punters.
It just goes to show,
sometimes joining
official fan clubs pays
off.
The fan club tour was
set up by the band to
showcase their new
material and Waiting For
The 7.18, Machine,
Hunting For Witches,
Blue Moon and
Rhododendrons were the
new songs played in
Glasgow.
Of all the new material,
Hunting For Witches
stood out as a stick on
single. It features all
the trademarks of a
great Bloc Party song –
that intense,
disco-fuelled drumming,
heartfelt vocals, the
heavy but undistorted
chorus and verses full
of intricacies that only
this band can pull off.
Machines starts with a
solo vocal line from
Kele, a trick not used
before by Bloc Party.
“People are afraid to
merge on the freeway” is
the opening line and
though it seems a bit
stark on its own, the
song soon builds to a
wonderfully observant
look at modern life with
a nod to iPods and a
wink to reality TV.
Knowing it’s always hard
for fans to get into
songs they’ve never
heard before, Bloc Party
made sure to throw in
more than a few hits
from their impressive
repertoire. Helicopter,
Banquet, So Here We Are
and Like Eating Glass
all make an appearance
but it is on set closer,
Little Thoughts, that
their sheer brilliance
is undeniably confirmed.
It’s the song that first
put them in the
spotlight and it’s the
perfect way to bring
down the curtain on a
flawless set.
They’ve been accused on
a few occasions of
playing at break-neck
speed on stage, but
whatever was causing
that problem has been
well and truly ironed
out tonight.
The only downside of the
night was bass player,
Gordon Moakes’ attempts
to stop kids in the
front row taking
pictures. For fuck sake
Gordon, when do you next
think those kids will be
within a metre of their
heroes? Surely you can
put up with that, you’re
in one of the biggest
bands in Britain. In 10
years time we will all
have cameras implanted
in our foreheads, get
used to it. That, and
the fact he was the only
band member not to wave
or thank the crowd as he
left the stage, made him
the only villain on a
night that will live
with a select lucky few
forever.
www.blocparty.com
Stef Lach
