Review: WHP curated by Bloc Party

It’s gone midnight. Hundreds of people are dancing around us, drinks are sloshing, and lasers are beaming out across the room. The atmosphere is one of excitement - it's been a brilliant night so far, and it’s about to get better.

As a newbie to the Warehouse Project scene I was admittedly apprehensive. As a stalwart indie fan and regular festival and gig goer, I couldn’t help but wonder whether a live act would work at a venue so famed for its epic house and dance parties. So, could Bloc party do it?

Any initial feelings of apprehension were quelled within minutes. The vibe and the atmosphere inside the cavernous venue could only be described as electric, with a pulsing undercurrent ready to explode at any moment.

After spending the last few years in relative obscurity as a band, with front man Kele Okereke choosing to follow his solo career down the electro path he is seemingly destined to follow, and with guitarist Russell Lissack embracing the rock scene by moonlighting as a guitarist in Ash, talk of a reunion was somewhat dubious. So the release of Four and the subsequent tour that ensued sparked a furore of what ifs and maybes.

Bloc Party’s place on the music spectrum straddles the world of the indie guitar scene and the dance/electro scene. After being described by indie icon Noel Gallagher as a “band off University Challenge”, morphing into the electro hipsters that produced chart topping hit 'Flux', Bloc Party are a juxtaposition of sound and noise - and this is clearly demonstrated both by the rich mix of people in the crowd, as well as by the bands that Bloc Party had chosen to join them on this special line-up.

Relative newcomers Theme Park are a London band, who have previously been compared to rock icons Talking Heads and Vampire Weekend. With songs like 'Ghost' bringing to mind a raw, less produced, organic Mystery Jets, Theme Park carry a definite indie sound. In contrast, the relatively underground Plaitum who have been described as ‘witch house electronica’ had the crowd raring to go when they hit the stage at around 10.30. The Now Wave DJ sets that bound the acts together managed to incorporate everything that the night stood for. With a collection ranging from underground electro sounds through to alternative indie, the boys from Now Wave did what they do best.

Just after midnight, Bloc Party took to the stage where they embarked on a rollercoaster of sound that took us from the early days of Bloc Party, right through to the band we see today. Opening with new song 'Octopus', the band steadily moved through their back catalogue of hits, and what can only be guaranteed to be future hits. We had glimpses of Bloc Party at their best, moving from the electro dance hit 'Flux', through to the bass laden sounds and heavy drum beats of 'Positive Tension', demonstrating their flexibility in sound and ability to take the crowd with them. As the band performed, excitement roared through each and every single member of the crowd - and the thrill and exhilaration was infectious. The set closed with a ruptures encore of the biggest hits of the last seven years, finishing with 'Helicopter' - the single that announced their explosion onto the scene back in 2005. It was just perfect; hundreds of people together enjoying the same euphoric moment.

Welcome back Bloc Party, you have been missed.

Words: Ashleigh Durkan

Photo: Manox Photography

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