Chances are you’ll have noticed Bloc Party getting around a bit this summer. No complaints, of course—they’re always a good band to have around—but it’s most likely in celebration of the 20th birthday of their seminal debut Silent Alarm. And for as often as that word ‘seminal’ can be tossed around with reckless abandon, make no mistake—this time, it’s fully justified. Silent Alarm is frequently listed among the best albums of the 2000s, a landmark release in indie-rock and post-punk revivalism that’s held as a barometer to this day, not just for Bloc Party’s own work but for the sound at large. So much so, that this current run has actually been dubbed 20 Years Of Bloc Party, as if to reiterate how intrinsic to their origin Silent Alarm is.
Today, Bloc Party’s worldwide crisscrossing has brought them to Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl and its Sounds Of The City concert series, bringing with them The Royston Club’s throwbacks to 2000s indie, and the post-punk of Monobloc (who, despite their name, aren’t a spinoff of our headliners). Dean Cavanagh headed down for us to check it all out.
Monobloc
The Royston Club
Bloc Party
Photos by Dean Cavanagh (Instagram)
