Review: Bloc Party & Interpol @ The Hordern Pavilion
Review by Natasha Christian & photos by Rhys Bennett.
Two Joy Division-inspired bands on wildly different paths.
Both Bloc Party and Interpol are bands that tattooed themselves on mid-Millenial culture in the same way as Zooey Deschanel, Alexa Chung and Oxford shoes - this generation didn’t give a fuck about Oxford commas though.
Bloc Party guitarist Russell Lissack inspired millions to rock a floppy haircut, tight t-shirts and skinny jeans, meanwhile, Interpol had us buying typewriters thinking we’d write the next great novel, only to display them for aesthetics and intellectual clout (I was one of these until I realised how much it cost to service them).
While brooding Gen-Xers had Radiohead and Nirvana, my generation had these two.
Instead of calling heads or tails to decide who would headline this tour, the bands decided to share the honour, alternating between shows. In Sydney, Bloc Party was up first, which seemed to annoy some fans who arrived late. I spoke to a few who had shown up disappointed to learn they’d missed the whole thing. Would Interpol be enough to lift their spirits?
I also got caught out arriving late for post-punkers Dust. While I was looking forward to seeing some of the songs from et cetera, etc, it wasn’t meant to be (Rhys did get some photos). I strongly urge you to listen to Joy(Guilt) if you’re a fan of either headliner or Nada Surf, it won’t disappoint.
As soon as Bloc Party took the stage with So Here We Are, I was immediately taken back to Summer ‘05 when Silent Alarm was all over Triple J (when I was the target audience) and we all unanimously agreed it was a great record.
Similar to Ian Curtis, no one sings quite like Kele Okereke (Although Paul Banks comes eerily close to Curtis).
We’re quickly dragged into the present with Sex Magik from Alpha Games, and I immediately know “earth-earth, air-air, fire-fire, water-water” is going to be stuck in my head for weeks.
While I expected the drums and bass to hit the spot during this show (they did), I forgot how great the Bloc Party guitars are. It all came back to me when Lissack launched into the iconic Hunting For Witches intro. Louise Bartle on drums was excellent, and bassist Harry Deacon delivered - that bassline on Positive Tension is a chef’s kiss.
It’s common for bands to slip a cheeky Australian cover into their set. Tonight it was Paul Kelly’s Dumb Things turn to get the Kele treatment.
Banquet quickly gets the Alexa Chung bobs bobbing - “It’s like that innit”, Okereke teased the audience before diving into an ultra-fun Traps.
Different Drugs offered a different vocal style from Okereke, almost crossing into Massive Attack territory. The set ended with a great drum and bass jam before we heard the spine-chilling opening line from Like Eating Glass, “it’s so cold in this house”.
There’s something angelic and otherworldly about hearing Okereke sing this live. I left Act One thinking Interpol had their work cut out for them as the party had definitely started. Would this dark and often dreary band of New Yorkers keep it going?
Interpol takes the stage in what I’d describe as elevated funeral attire. Frontman Paul Banks unassumingly stood front and centre wearing dark sunglasses, which he never took off. Considering their biggest album is called Turn On The Bright Lights, it should’ve clicked sooner that this was a sign of things to come. Boy, were those lights bright. I squinted my way through this set to the point where I considered pulling a sunglasses indoors fashion moment too.
Banks’ slick and towering stage presence reminded me of Josh Homme. It exudes class, but there’s also something dark and sleazy about it.
Interpol has a tough job live. While Bloc Party’s music brings people together, they’ve always felt more suited to isolation.
Brooding TOTBL opener Untitled sounded great, although it was a little jarring after the party we just had. It’s like that person at parties who puts on an undeniably great Nick Cave song when we’re not ready to get that existential.
While Interpol doesn’t offer much in terms of crowd interaction, they clearly know their audience and C’mere and The Rover got the room moving.
Newer song Into The Night served as a chance for a toilet break for some, which is a shame as I really enjoyed its gothic undertone. Those who did ‘go’ probably left at the right time, as fan favourites Obstacle 1, Evil, Rest My Chemistry, PDA and Slow Hands followed shortly after.
A highlight of the night was hearing the haunting Pioneer To The Falls, which had fans chanting “show me the dirt pile and I will pray, that the soul can take three stowaways”.
I thought having Bloc Party and Interpol on the same lineup was like oil and water, yet this show delivered the right mix of dance and darkness. Sure, there were points where the mood shifts were extreme, yet this seemingly incompatible, odd pairing worked well.
Bloc Party and Interpol tour Australia with Dust in November, thanks to Destroy All Lines.