MER-MER-MER-MER-MERCURY

BLOC PARTY- Yet another concert review i wrote for my last.fm

Before I get into this little review I must say that admittedly I’m not a Bloc Party fanatic. While I thoroughly enjoy moving my feet to their unique brand of indie electro, I wouldn’t go totally out of my way to see them. On the other hand I am somewhat guilty of harbouring a Hayley Williams obsession, and if Omar and/or Cedric were to grace me with their presence I would be struck dumb for fear of breaking their mystique. Similarly could be said of Matt Bellamy and co.

After last night though, I was completely won over beyond my expectations.

I anticipated a night of great dancing and lights and yes, of course we got that. But there was so much more on offer from Kele and his ridiculously-young-looking group of musicians.

From interviews and other general knowledge from the music scene, I was expecting Bloc Party to be somewhat aloof and distant in their presentation. Their music is distinctively cold which is part of the allure for me- Silent Alarm in particular. However Kele’s genuine joy last night was infectious for me, and it proved to make the Hordern as intimate as it could be. The bare backdrop was a surprise but this brought the focus on the boys and their musicianship, which was more than proficient.

Similarly in interviews, it was apparent that it took some time for them to actually learn Intimacy live. Luckily for us they didn’t seem to make any major mistakes and the setlist did well to weave in and out of the visceral energy of Intimacy (Mercury and Ares anyone?), and the surprising beauty found in both City and Silent Alarm (Blue Light, Song For Clay, This Modern Love, Little Thoughts).

Discovering this live beauty was the real highlight for me last night. Like mentioned above, Bloc Party make distinctively impersonal music, which I guess could be derived from their electronic tendencies. However last night, their pure onstage honesty combined with Kele’s amiable charisma (“If we could only tour Australia over and over we would”) really opened my heart to their music. Not just my feet.

I started off towards the back amidst the people reluctant to move anything other than their toes and necks. Already separated from my friends due to an early toilet visit I had to fight my way to get a better view, and find more mobile company. I felt sorry for my 15 year-old sister who had trouble seeing anything the whole night…but heck so did my 21 year old friends with her. I eventually found a more excitable group of people and tried to get my dance on. This proved more difficult than anticipated due to the cramped area. And so I moved onwards.

When I found the guy in the Parkway Drive shirt I knew things were picking up. Apologies to anyone who did not enjoy this but a circle pit is a circle pit, albeit somewhat misplaced. For crying out loud I’ve been in a Little Birdy circle pit! I never start them. I just join in. And to be honest, you should too.

So this was all in good fun and by this time I had made quite a staggering progression towards the front. We all enjoyed doing Eating some Glass, a bit of Praying as well as Hunting For Witches. Positive Tension was an early hit (one of my faves) and Helicopter (I couldn’t help but think of all the Guitar Hero nerds around. Represent!) and Banquet were true crowd-pleasers. The inevitable encore was not a letdown with Flux and some other song with two drumkits of which I can’t remember because I am currently listening to excellent Taking Back Sunday B-Side Brooklyn. But I was quite impressed at this simple twist to the band dynamic. Who needs a bassist anyway? Haha. Matt Tong’s unwavering technicality continued to impress me the whole night. The lasers were a very welcome addition to the night too. What wasn't played was ultimately outbalanced by what was.

The second encore had This Modern Love finish the night quite nicely. Suitably sweaty I simply didn’t want the Party to end. Usually after a night like this I am wrecked, ready for my McChicken at Sylvania Macca’s, brush of teeth and bed. Au contraire, this particular night left me quite wired and begging for more. We pumped Bloc Party again in the car and only when we had neared Wollongong an hour later did we finally ‘come down’.

I was seriously considering buying another ticket for tonight’s show but dad wasn’t too impressed hehe. It’s sold out anyway and I guess with Coldplay being $140 it’s better that I not spend unnecessarily.

So thanks Bloc Party for an unforgettably enjoyable night and just being so darn friendly about it…well, thanks to Kele anyway. (:

My only regret is not bringing glow sticks.

Stupid Grin

‘Going into town’. This is all we ever do. The clubs and pubs call us out and we fill the void of our youth with their spirits. It makes me long for the days when a good night out meant hanging out at the beach with ice cream, maybe a guitar and a song or two. When someone’s house didn’t merely serve as a pre-drinks waterhole and quality conversation was the stimulant of the evening. Where the music makes your soul dance as well as your feet.

I long to sit and talk just for a bit. Talk about your hopes. Your dreams. Your BELIEFS. Where do you stand on the issue of abortion? What was the last CD you bought? How was your week? Did you like the last movie you saw? Where did you get those shoes? Where can a guy get a drink around here?...if conversation is an art then we are dada. We present meaningless nothings on the pretence of greatness and depth. Shallow like urinals.

We stumble through the awkward small talk, like toddlers unsure of how to stand on our two legs. All we can do is smile embarrassed as someone passes the bottle around.

But I speak too quickly and harshly. I enjoy a good night out as much as the next person and embrace the night without hesitation. Give me balloons and sparklers, champagne and cake, a voice as sore as my feet and feet as quick as my wit, clocks that never die, without reminder of how young we are and what little time we have left…these are but fragments of a quality night out. The moments we share in crisp vision and thought that stay with us for a lifetime.

I’m scared to admit it, but it does come to this:

My only regret is that after years of ‘hanging out’, I barely even know who you are.


Note: I wrote this in a slightly more cynical mood. Sometimes it just feels like even an entire lifetime is not enough to get to know a person.

Studying In The Library

Exams at uni are done. But it was a slow and painful process... We all like looking at pretty girls and drawing them is just as fun. I didn't even see this one's face but she had a nice dress on. She looked very stressed. I was studying for statistical mechanics PHYS385. I do believe I did ok in the exam, even though I missed out on some really simple questions I should've killed.

Sleeping At Heathrow

I drew this while we were sleeping at Heathrow airport in 2006 on transit to Dresden. We found some chairs and struggled for some shut-eye. I was wandering around at 3 in the a.m. There were men outside doing roadworks and I took some photos of the lights. The Chili Peppers may or may not have been playing on my ipod. The shops were closed and the place was virtually deserted. The CD shop had Black Holes & Revelations, Lily Allen and Keane on display behind bars. I took some tourist brochures as souvenirs. 'Welcome to Heathrow Airport' they read. They now sit under my desk, yellowing with the newspapers I brought back from Germany. Every story is about football.

On an unrelated note, I saw 2 girls with guitars yesterday. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. They both had the guitar over their right shoulder. Whether it was the same guitar or not, I'll never know. But it definitely was not the same girl.