Bloc Party – John Cain Arena
Celebrating two decades since they first exploded onto the indie rock scene, Bloc Party returned to Melbourne with a blistering performance that proved they’ve lost none of their bite. Taking the stage at John Cain Arena on a Sunday night, the London four-piece dove headfirst into a 20 song set packed with sharp riffs, pulsing beats and a whole lot of heart.
Warming up the room was California’s Young the Giant, who returned to Australia for the first time in 14 years. Their genre-blurring mix of indie rock, pop and alt grooves was a perfect addition to the headline show, and the band wasted no time warming up the crowd. Highlights included fan favourites Cough Syrup, Mind Over Matter, Silvertongue, and their powerhouse closing track, My Body, which ended the set on a high.
‘Good evening Melbourne, we are Bloc Party from London, England. Are we gonna have some fun tonight?’ frontman Kele Okereke asked after opener So Here We Are – a gentle introduction that gave way to the twitchy tension of She’s Hearing Voices and the explosive Mercury.
The pace kept building with Price of Gasoline before giving way to the shimmering pulse of Blue Light; with the crowd singing along word for word. Song for Clay (Disappear Here) brought the dramatic flair, while Banquet sent the crowd into a frenzy. ‘Turn the lights on. I want to see you,’ Kele grinned, before adding, ‘Australians are the sexiest race on Earth.’
Traps and Only He Can Heal Me followed; escalating into a chaotic wall of sound that made way for a nostalgic highlight – I Still Remember – slow-burning moment of reflection. From there, The Love Within cranked things back up with its clubby pulse, while Blue – ‘a song about true love,’ as Kele put it – offered a reprieve from the frenetic beats Bloc Party are known for.
From Positive Tension onwards, the energy kicked up a notch. The Prayer and Like Eating Glass closed out the first act of the show, each met with thunderous screams, applause and crowd-wide singalongs. When they returned for the encore – or ’round two,’ as Kele called it – they launched into the dreamy melancholy of Signs, followed by the cathartic singalong of The Pioneers and the early-2000s indie anthem, Helicopter. ‘It’s always such a pleasure making the 20 hour flight to come here,’ Kele said. ‘Always greeted with such love.’ And speaking of love – This Modern Love came next. Before the night ended, Kele gave one final word of warning. ‘We don’t know when we’ll be back, but we will be back. Now is the time to fuck shit up. This next song is a banger’, which lead into none other than Ratchet.
Whether you were there to relive Silent Alarm or fall for Bloc Party for the first time, this was a night that reminded you why they mattered – and why they still will for decades to come. Melbourne got a show it won’t soon forget.