Bloc Party - 20 Years of Bloc Party - Melbourne

4 Aug

Two decades after its release, Bloc Party’s ‘Silent Alarm’ still sounds like a punch to the chest — urgent, angular, and full of restless energy. On Sunday night at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena, the band brought that same intensity to a sold-out crowd, proving the fire that fuelled their 2005 debut is still very much alive.

Kicking off their set with the atmospheric ‘So Here We Are’, Bloc Party wasted no time diving into ‘Silent Alarm’ in its entirety. From the jittery ‘Like Eating Glass’ to the stadium-ready ‘Banquet’ and the explosive ‘Helicopter’, the band moved through each track with precision and passion. The audience — a mix of day-one fans and newer converts — was locked in from start to finish, singing along, bouncing in place, and collectively losing it when the opening riff of ‘This Modern Love’ rang out.

Frontman Kele Okereke was magnetic throughout, his voice sharp and emotive, his stage presence calm but commanding. Between songs, he offered warm banter and dry wit. “Can we turn the lights on? I want to see you. Australians are the sexiest people on Earth,” he quipped, and the crowd roared in approval. Guitarist Russell Lissack’s distinctive playing sliced through the arena, while newer members Louise Bartle (drums) and Harry Deacon (bass) held down a rock-solid rhythm section that felt completely at home in Bloc Party’s sonic universe.

While the production remained minimal — moody lighting, no elaborate visuals — it suited the band’s stripped-down, no-frills approach. Bloc Party have never been about spectacle. Their power lies in the music itself: raw, restless, and deeply human.

The 19-song set featured a handful of other fan favourites, including ‘The Prayer’, ‘Flux’, and ‘Ratchet’, giving the show a well-rounded arc that balanced nostalgia with progression. The band opted out of an encore, instead closing with a tight, cathartic finale that felt like the perfect ending to a night built on shared history.

Bloc Party’s Melbourne performance was more than a trip down memory lane — it was a reminder of why ‘Silent Alarm’ continues to resonate, and why the band still belongs in the conversation. Timeless, loud, and unapologetically alive, Bloc Party gave fans a show that honoured the past while sounding very much like the present.