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Black
Wire
Black Wire a new and noisy three-piece from Leeds are first on tonight.
Black Wire, who have no drummer so use a drum machine instead, have
a singer who looks as if he has failed a Strokes audition for not
being posh, and possibly for taking too many drugs, a bass player
who looks like a missing member of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club,
and a guitarist who looks like he has stolen a costume from a member
of The Darkness. They play a set of Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster
style shouty psycho-gonzo-mental rock, mixed up with a 1930s style
swampy blues/rock n roll sound. They play a wide eyed and noisy
set, with the singer going into the audience and staring them out,
which includes them playing a former NME single of the week, and
debut and white noise single, Attack Attack Attack. The band look
almost petrified to be onstage, but also look like they can't believe
they're onstage living out a possible rock fantasy which is a bit
of a contradiction in terms, but the singer looks like he's just
awoken into his rock n roll nightmare. So not seemingly comfortable
about being onstage but Black Wire do leave the stage in a cloud
of loud guitars and youthful anger.
Komakino
Komakino play a short set of very fast, arty and jittery punk, funk
n roll, with songs such a Explosions In Her Eyes and Tripwire, which
get the crowd's feet moving eventually, after the shock of the previous
band. Komakino sound like a cross between The Cooper Temple Clause
and Joy Division, with the singer also having a similarly barking
voice as Paul Resende from Ikara Colt at times. However the singer
seems all sweet and innocent when talking to the audience, but once
the guitars and the songs kick in he turns into a rock n roll animal.
He knocks into his fellow bandmates, flying of the bass drum of
the drumkit several times, not too mention seeming to be hellbent
on desecrating his microphone stand - which he manages to do by
the final song of the set - as well as swinging his microphone around
and smashing it too the ground like a mini Iggy Pop. It's all done
with a sense of humour and fun, which the audience lap up easily,
by the end of the set he is sopping wet with sweat, as is the rest
of the stage, and the drum kit has been knocked over and abandoned
just before they leave, and the place is heaving with sweat and
anticipation and it is very, very hot in here. Which is the perfect
warm-up for Bloc Party who are up next.
Bloc
Party
Bloc Party are a bunch of funky artschool rockers and heroes from
the burgeoning and vibrantly creative music scene in New Cross in
North East London. They are currently being supported by NME (as
well as supporting a lot of other acts from New Cross) and their
current single Banquet has been played quite a bit on Zane Lowe
and Steve Lamacq's shows on Radio1, and MTV2.
However
their shows are not so much just mere excellent gigs, but incendiary
and riverting performances. Tonight Bloc Party certainly live up
to and beyond expectations, cause although they are attracting the
limelight they are also try to shun it, by doing it on their own
terms. From opening song Marshalls their sound is very confident,
and they sound very confident and unique, and have come on leaps
and bounds since their show at Leeds Joseph's Well a few months
back.They sound like the alternative rising up against the bland,
boring and predictable mainstream such as the likes of the repetitive
Big Brother, Pop Idol, The Darkness etc, and they are a lot different
and better than Franz Ferdinand. When they kick into current single
Banquet, they get the crowd singing, clapping, and dancing along
and into a frenzied sweaty mess right until the end of their set,
which finishes of with ace new single Little Thoughts -with each
single they get better and better.
They
take in a whole range of influences, with elements of The Clash,
The Specials, and a fiery dub-reggae sound-which is on evidence
on a few of their songs including new single Little Thoughts. Also
with the dancey vibes and energy of The Rapture at times too. Singer
Kele Okereke sounds like a mix between a tense and taut version
of Robert Smith, Damon Albarn and Joe Strummer. Through all these
variety of sounds and more they create their own (Bloc) party atmosphere,
and create a sound that is uniquely theirs, that sounds confident
but catchy from which the crowd start clapping, jumping and singing
along too, until the Cockpit is eventually transformed into a sweaty
pile of dust. The band end up sweating more than Komakino, which
officially make Bloc Party the best and sweatiest band tonight.
Bloc
Party want to have some fun and send out a message against the mainstream
society and society in general along the way. They know for sure
though how to put on a Bloc Party.
Definitely
the future of music. 8/10.
Ben
Bradford
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