Bloc Party with Holy Fuck @ The Kool Haus
By: Melissa Bessey
Two heads full of wires, funk-your-ass-off bass and drive-it-home drums represent the four elements of Holy Fuck. SoundProof joined them during their CMW performance at the Kool Haus and watched as they dazzled their diverse crowd of teeny boppers and thirties hipsters alike.
In a colorful display of live audio tinkering, the Toronto-bred band served as a great warm up to Bloc Party in a performance that had the crowd entranced and anxiously anticipating what would come next. "Lovely Allen" is a personal favorite of both myself and Thom Yorke, and is a tune that conjures images of a band of organs bursting at the seams, on parade and partying with Daft Punk.
They are men of a few words – with "thanks" after their third song being the only word spoken to the crowd – but their music speaks volumes. The only flaw to their unique performance was what seemed to be a minor glitch at the start of the fifth tune, but then who would mind when audio glitches make up an integral part of your sound anyways!
"Korock" is another tune that seamlessly blends men on musical instruments with a witch's brew of digitalism. The overall feel of Holy Fuck is that of break beats gone funky on a trip to Wonderland in Tokyo and full of super digi whirls 'n' swirls.
You need to see this band live to have a visual on their table of audio tricks which pull noises in and out of it like a rabbit out of a hat or a poor man on crack. The table looks tangled and dangerous (very possible electrical hazard) but damn does it produce some glorious sounds.
Exit under agers, enter everyone who listened to the Bloc Party hype, including a star studded audience of other CMW artists, taking time out to enjoy what was guaranteed to be a great show, right?
OK, now I think Kele Okereke is just as sexy as the next beating heart, and yes that accent gets me every time, but that doesn't mean they sound like The English Beat, The Cure or The Clash. I seriously don't think these guys are rockin' the Casbah and at least they acknowledge that they're not reinventing the wheel. In their defense though, the hint of these Brit legends combines with a contemporary dance party groove to make Bloc Party's sound unique.
Does that mean they always put on a great live show? Well, rumour has it they always bring the house down and the Kool Haus was pumped for their CMW performance, but I really didn't feel a sincere vibe from the band.
The highlight of their set was at the beginning of their second song when the crowd transformed into a huge, charging mosh pit which sent the bouncers and Kool Haus security into high alert and many a drunken fan to the bathroom to puke.
Sorry, Bloc Party you guys do have an original sound and some seriously good tunes, but don't let the hype make you lazy. When the crowd wants to rock, respond with a vengeance – not a passionless performance.
Video: "I Still Remember" by Bloc Party
