Bloc Party @ Bottom of the Hill

A proud hearted lament of the loneliness of life. “Like Eating Glass” the first track on Bloc Party’s first album Silent Alarm reminds me that there’s reason to rejoice even when soaked in the cold wet rain.

Bloc Party played to a packed house at the Bottom of the Hill 3/31. Probably the last time you’ll see them at venue like this. I was just finishing dinner when a friend called and said he had tickets and knew the band. The gods were obviously smiling on me. Not everyone was so lucky. I arrived to see many disappointed fans trying to get in.

They took the stage and rolled the audience from song one. The energy on stage, their flurry of telecaster tones, and unstoppable drumbeats left no one in the audience flat-footed. Although I’m sure their shows back in London get absolutely rowdy, it was great to see even this crowd of SF hipsters getting down.

Most of the reviews on Bloc Party revolve around their layered sound, adding complexity to a genre of music that could get tired if not constantly tweaked for maximum independence. I’m into the lyrics. They give the music its heart. A melancholy rejoice that life is not loneliness and that a gentle rage is best to solve the world’s problems.