Bloc Party, The Astoria
It’s almost a year to the day since we saw Bloc Party and The Rakes play the Metro Club, just around the corner on Oxford Street. For both bands the last 12 months have been busy to say the least. The Rakes have been touring consistently and are about to release their 3rd excellent single; Bloc Party are now proper pop stars known by the average punter on the street, with a top album under their belts, a re-release of their brilliant Banquet single and an NME cover story.

Unfortunately, we arrive late and only get to see The Rakes play the last half of 22 Grand Job. Bugger. Why were they on first, with the decidedly average Pretty Girls Make Graves further up the billing?

Fortunately, Kele and the boys more than make up for our disappointment. They really are every bit as good as the first time we saw them play last year, even when scaled up to to these top-end venues. I feel so lucky to have seen them grow – and to watch the faces of people seeingt them for the first time. Do I really need to tell you all over again how good they are? OK – they are amazing. If you haven’t seen them yet then go and see them at the summer festivals or the autumn tour or on their forthcoming tour of the US, Europe and Australia.

However, things are not all ripe-n-rosy in Bloc world. Kele tells us that he’s had a really bad day and seeing us makes it better; and Matt (Tong, Drummer) tells us that we’ve made it all worth while. It looks like the constant touring and promotional work (19 days in America in the month before this gig) are taking their toll. I guess it’s the same for all new bands in the period between the release of their first record and the point at which they can become big enough to dictate their own terms. I just hope Bloc Party are strong enough to make it through and get some time off over the summer – it would be a real shame for them to get this far and then fall apart.
- posted by Nigella @ 6:40 PM