A Bloc Party in the City
First published on Music Industry Online / Music In Africa
By Andy Leve
Pictures : Yetunde Dada
Mary Fitzgerald Square was rocked to the core this past Friday, 5th October- as the masses came out for the highly anticipated In the City concert.
The show was headlined by British indie rockers Bloc Party; however the local acts certainly held their ground. First up on the bill was South African Music Award winning trio Shadow Club. This band simply screams rock and roll and definitely sets a high standard for the evening as they warmed the crowd up with their hits including “Good Morning Killer”, “Lucy” and “Guns and Money”.
The trio were followed up by, Yesterday’s Pupils and Tumi from The Volume. Yesterday’s Pupil ‘s psychedelic sounds, singing and guitar playing were complimented by Tumi from the Volumes’ intuitive rhymes. The audience enjoyed the fusion of sounds, beats and lyrics so much so that one fan threw her bra on stage. This soon became a prop for Yesterday’s Pupil and Tumi, who took turns covering their faces with the bra as they performed- much to the amusement of the crowd.
From synths and guitars to Die Antwoord’s signature vulgarity and techno / hip hop beats, the crowd stayed engrossed to the stage for what can only be described as a mindblowingly zef set. As soon as DJ Hi-tech, clad in a lumo orange suit, took to his DJ booth- the heat was on.
He dropped the beat to their song “fok julle naaiers” and Yolandi Visser emerged on stage showing her middle finger to the crowd as they sang along. The band has been enjoying sold out shows in The United States and parts of Europe and did not disappoint their home crowd. The audience was treated to Ninja’s pelvic thrusts, Yolandi’s ass shaking and even a guest appearance by an unknown dancer who joined Yolandi and Ninja on stage for a few songs.
Die Antwoord had the crowd engrossed for their entire set, and I guess as a token of appreciation, Ninja jumped over the railing and into the crowd. They ended their set with their debut hit “Enter the Ninja”.
From the pioneers of Zef Culture to the Kings of indie rock- Bloc Party. The stage was set and as soon as drummer, Matt Tong walked on stage topless.
The crowd could not contain themselves and screamed until lead singer Kele Okereke walked on stage. He walked up to the microphone and belted out the first line of the first single, “Octopus” from their latest offering, “Four”.
In the beginning of the set Kele’s vocals seemed to be drowned out by the guitar and drums but he soon found his feet and never looked back! “Helicopter, “One more chance”, and “she’s hearing voices were screamed back to Kele as the fans “helped” him sing.
Not so long ago there were rumours that Bloc party had called it quits. Their latest release, however, means that they will still be keeping crowds jumping up and down atleast for a while longer.
This event was undoubtedly a night to remember. Every single act deserved an encore and standing ovation of the hundreds of people who gathered at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown to rock out to a stellar line-up.