EastScene

Initially, I didn’t know what to expect when I entered Metropolis to go see Bloc Party on Wednesday, September 17th, 2008. Having seen them play their headlining set at Osheaga 2007, this certainly wasn’t going to be my first time seeing them. Not to be anal or anything, but I felt they didn’t deliver at all during that set. Hence, when I walked in the sold-out show, I thought I knew exactly how it was going to go down: they were going to be disappoint me.

However, much to my surprise, they didn’t. They were, in fact, really good. Perhaps their set at Osheaga was an isolated case in which the sound quality was horrible due to the fact that it was an outdoor event. Who knows? Regardless, Bloc Party really surprised me with their performance. Russell Lissack on lead guitar was amazing. There’s one thing hearing his riffs on CD, but then there’s seeing him actually pull off those riffs live, meanwhile making it look effortless. All in all, I was really impressed.

Furthermore, it was my first time going to a show in which there were TWO encores. I was initially confused and heading out the door when they started their second encore, but made my way back in to see what was going on. I don’t think it was planned; rather, I believe they were sincere in saying that they loved Montreal and therefore, proved it by giving us just a little bit more. And not a single person in that venue left without a smile, believing that Bloc Party can surprisingly deliver.