Thursday, October 4, 2007

Live Review-Bloc Party at Theater @ MSG

"We are going to bring our A game tonight" proclaimed Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke last night just three songs into the band's thunderous set. The road dogs of international rock made their final US stop last night at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, an intimate, yet large enough venue to hold the alt-rockers. Making sure everyones heart beat was up and dancing shoes were on, Bloc Party proved why they have been on the international circuit since the bands formation in 2003. Banging through tracks from the bands latest A Weekend in the City and their debut Silent Alarm, they were also able to play a few new songs, including the bands latest B-side single "Flux." The bands style a cross between Joy Division meets Bjork meets Depeche Mode meets Gang of Four, shows that their hybrid of rock, electro and punk is not only inspiring, but just plain brilliant. The highlight of the performance was when they rocked through the band played their biggest singles to date "Banquet," and then "The Prayer." The biggest surprise was that "I Still Remember," a song that did very well on the US charts was not played, but was certainly not missed. What also made Bloc Party's show last night was not just how electrifying the four men on stage are together, but how endearing and sincere Kele is to his audience. He reminds me of Chris Martin with dreadlocks and soul power, his band mates are rather shy, but Kele's extroverted personality makes up for them ten-fold. Calling his New York crowd "Cool Cats," and making sure they were entertained, you see why every time they come to the city that never sleeps, they don't either. Bloc Party brought more than their "A" game last night, they brought something that can only be summed up in one word and that is "wow."