''Hello Dublin. We are Bloc Party from London. Long time no see.'' And it certainly has been- you couldn't tell from Kele Okerere's brief introduction but just a short while ago it seemed that Bloc Party were on the brink of extinction and we'd never see them again as a collective whole but here they were standing before a delighted audience in the Olympia Theatre upon their return to Ireland.
The Olympia seemed a strange choice of venue for a band of such status but for fans it provided a more intimate atomsphere than The O2 and it proved to be that Kele and co. had made quite a shrewd move in selecting two nights in a smaller setting rather than one sellout on a larger scale.
Kicking off with a set of classics, the band wasted no time getting down to work, largely drawing from their earlier albums as opposed to last year's Four, a relief to many as it must be said that their most recent effort failed to live up to decidely high expectations. Fan favourites including Hunting For Witches, Waiting For The 7.18 and Like Eating Glass ensured that the crowd were bouncing early on before more recent tunes were played and it proved a successful method with fans who responded just as well to songs taken from Four, largely due to the fact that the band had chosen well with the likes of Real Talk, Day Four and Octopus which actually sounded better in concert than on the original record.
They weren't the only songs of the night that were improved upon for live performance however- many of the band's signature sounds were amplified simply by the fact that this is an exceptional group of musicians, something you may have forgotten while they were away. Drummer Matt Tong was in fine form throughout while the other half of the rythym section Gordon Moakes contributed more than just bass with his atmospheric backing vocals and multi-instrumental talent, regularly switching from his guitar to glockenspiel and synths. Russell Lissack remains one of the finest guitarists on the planet, effortlessly recreating his innovative sound on stage while Okerere's vocals are just as good if not better in concert, and really quite a beautiful thing to behold on tracks like Kruezberg, Sunday and Truth.
Ultimately, Bloc Party deserve real credit for the length of their setlists (they played two encores both nights) and their refreshing approach to live music, regularly switching up the order and selection of their set, a feature of live music that is becoming rarer these days as many bands churn out a pre-selected tour setlist for months on end. The sheer skill of the band is demonstrated wonderfully in a live setting as always, and fans will surely be hoping that they aren't quite so long away next time. It doesn't seem so though with two new songs debuted for Irish audiences this week- in fact they appear a truly revitalized act and the future for Bloc Party is looking very bright indeed.
Setlist (Tuesday)
So He Begins To Lie
Mercury
Hunting For Witches
Like Eating Glass
Real Talk
Waiting For The 7.18
Song For Clay (Disappear Here)
Banquet
Coliseum
Day Four
One More Chance
Octopus
We Are Not Good People
Signs
Ares
This Modern Love
Flux (We Found Love Intro)
Ratchet
Truth
Helicopter
7
Setlist (Wednesday)
So Here We Are
Team A
Trojan Horse
Hunting For Witches
Positive Tension
Real Talk
Waiting For The 7.18
Song For Clay (Disappear Here)
Banquet
Coliseum
Truth
The Prayer
Octopus
Kruezberg
Sunday
Flux (We Found Love Intro)
Helicopter
Montreal
Ares
This Modern Love
8
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