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ACL taping: Bloc Party
Late Monday evening — only one day after the boys in Bloc Party performed in a Zilker Park heat index that skyrocketed above 110 degrees on the gi-normous AT&T stage during the ACL Music Festival — the South London post-punk band taped a set for the “Austin City Limits” television show’s 33rd season. (Read our review of the band’s festival set here.)
Hundreds of University of Texas students and other Austinites in-the-know were lined up around to block hoping to gain entrance to the show. Unfortunately the studio’s capacity could not admit even half of the Bloc Party fans, a group that appears to be growing with the release of the band’s progressive 2007 sophomore album, “A Weekend In The City.”
“I luuuuvvvv television,” said the band’s firestarter frontman Kele Okereke in his thick British accent after their first take, “Song For Clay.” The air-conditioned environs of the Austin City Limits soundstage made a perfect theater for the up-and-coming indie rock band that had asked for patience the day before during the heat of the afternoon because “we are from a cold, wet island … we’re not used to this (Texas sun).”
And Okereke’s love was reciprocated. Guitarist Russell Lissack, bassist Gordon Moakes, drummer Matt Tong and Okereke killed once they shook off the butterflies in their stomach, which came out as a couple of false starts on songs from their debut “Silent Alarm,” songs that the band has been playing almost every day for the past three years.
“Waiting For The 7.18” emerged as one of their strongest cuts from last year’s “A Weekend in the City”; the song highlighted Bloc Party’s unique ability to make danceable anthems from math-rock, 7/8 time signatures and Tong’s bloody-brilliant syncopated backbeats.
“This Modern Love” and “So Here We Are” transcended the recorded versions and became almost spiritual in their melancholy deconstruction of 21st century love. And by the time the band played their coup de grace, “Like Eating Glass,” the typically reserved studio audience was on its feet dancing to the ever jagged guitar crunch.
“Ever since I saw these guys during South by Southwest at Stubb’s a few years ago, I knew we had to get them in here,” said ACL producer Terry Lickona. “It took a little while, but we finally did it!”
Although the ACL television show wasn’t able to nab the video-shy Bob Dylan, other tapings over the weekend included Crowded House, Arcade Fire, Wilco and Regina Spektor. Lucinda Williams will tape a segment tonight. Good luck getting tickets as the ever-elusive radio station ticket-drop announcement was made last week.
Bloc Party’s set list
ACL taping, Monday, Sept. 17
“Song For Clay (Disappear Here)”
“Positive Tension”
“Hunting For Witches”
“Waiting For The 7.18”
“Banquet”
“This Modern Love”
“The Prayer”
“Uniform”
“So Here We Are”
“Like Eating Glass”
“Sunday”
“Helicopter”
Encore: “She’s Hearing Voices
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Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: ACL Festival
Comments
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By David Short
September 19, 2007 1:20 AM | Link to this
“His thick British accent”? Hang on a sec; apart from that being an oxymoron, is this a Texan calling someone else’s accent thick??
By Jake
September 20, 2007 3:58 PM | Link to this
actually an oxymoron is a pairing of words that are completely opposite of one another. If you wanted to Dave, you could say that it is somewhat repetitive. As for your second comment, Texas is a really big place filled with different accents just like every other state. I’ve never met an American who could not identify a british accent just by the fact that it sounds so different. Like the example i gave of texas Great Britain is filled with accents and it just so happens that the south-london is a very slow, thick sounding accent.
By jake
September 20, 2007 3:59 PM | Link to this
actually an oxymoron is a pairing of words that are completely opposite of one another. If you wanted to Dave, you could say that it is somewhat repetitive. As for your second comment, Texas is a really big place filled with different accents just like every other state. I’ve never met an American who could not identify a british accent just by the fact that it sounds so different. Like the example i gave of texas Great Britain is filled with accents and it just so happens that the south-london is a very slow, thick sounding accent.