Bloc Party win over the crowd at Leeds

It seems like Bloc Party have been with us forever. Rising to fame on the same NME tour as the Killers and Kaiser Chiefs they have become something of an institution around festival time. In recent times second on the bill has been a staple for them. They do it with such style and hardly ever put a foot wrong.

The early Bloc Party seemed like a sombre affair. Today something is different. Kele Okere has a smile on his face. He banters with the crowd. He revels in others misery!!! Bloc Party were the band that broke the news at a festival in France that Oasis were no more and benefited with a headline slot. At Leeds he tells us it is the sad end of an institution - before chortling to himself and saying "Big Brother is no more". He did this amongst a backdrop of a crowd who had been mostly uninterested in the bigger name main stage act. Indeed when he walked onstage and said "Leeds are we going to fu@king have it" the crowd shouted back a resounding "No".

However, they did win over the crowd, even the music is jollier these days. Newer songs like 'Mercury' and 'Flux' have always had that dance feel but they have now reworked older classics such as 'Helicopter' to give it the same style.

Having followed Bloc Party right from that NME gig it is apparent how they have all grown in confidence and stature particularly Kele. This was apparent today and by the end the initially negative crowd were lapping up. Whether the Party will ever make that climb up the last rung and become a headlining act in their own right remains to be seen. For now they'll do what they do best - getting the stage warm for the headliners. Unless one of them implodes on itself at the last minute perhaps!

Latest Updates