LIVE REVIEW: Siren Festival (Bloc Party), Amphitheatre, Bristol, 25/07/2025
Photo Credit: Martin Smith
It was 2005 and Bloc Party burst onto the scene with their first offering Silent Alarm which would eventually come to include some of their biggest tracks including This Modern Love, Helicopter and Banquet.
This evening they are playing Silent Alarm in full along with their greatest hits in a sold out gig at Bristol Amphitheatre. The venue is a modest size holding around 5000 when at capacity and it is situated in the heart of Bristol right by the iconic harbourside which tonight is bustling with people sporting Bloc Party t-shirts. Support this evening comes in the form of Liz Lawrence and BBC Radio 6 DJ Huw Stephens.
After the support the two founding members Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack appeared from the curtained entrance at the rear right of the stage and were closely joined by Louise Bartle and Harry Deacon much to the delight of the sold out crowd who had been waiting patiently. Okereke addressed the crowd asking if they were ready to celebrate. They kicked the set off with the beautifully melodic So Here We Are with its soft guitar intro which draws warm affection from the crowd closely followed by pulsating drums as She’s Hearing Voices comes to life. The setlist is switched up to include a track from their 2007 release A Weekend In The City and the frantic Hunting For Witches followed by Mercury from 2008’s Intimacy.
The stage lighting goes to a solid red as they launch into Traps from 2022’s Alpha Names the lighting echoes that used in the video to the song and it feels like the energy from the audience has gone up a notch. Okereke takes a breather after and tells the crowd he needs a drink but it will only be water as he is a professional and it’s said with a smile but he assures the cheering fans that there will be plenty of beer drank after the show. The pace is slowed down for the first time for Different Drugs as we see holograms shine on the buildings at the back of the venue. Okereke speaks and tells us that the song is about, ‘letting a bitch know’ with words spoken with a touch of venom but in a light hearted way.
As we drew nearer to the end of the set there was still something to look forward to with a five song encore beginning with Signs with its beautifully structured melody of glockenspiel ringing out around the amphitheatre causing a unified swaying of bodies. Little Thoughts brought the tempo back up ready for their most well known track Helicopter with its stabbing jagged guitar riffs and on point tight drum. The energetic set is brought to a close with the haunting This Modern Love, delivered with feeling from Okereke’s perfect vocals and lots of singing from the enthused crowd some sitting on the shoulders of friends with arms waving in delight.
It maybe twenty years since the release of Silent Alarm but looking around it’s clear to see that it still holds a place in the hearts and minds of those that have come out this evening.
Written By: Martin Smith
