Bloc Party Celebrate 20 Years with a Soaked Brisbane Crowd

Ben Bahr
18 hours ago
2 min read

BLOC PARTY, YOUNG THE GIANT

RIVERSTAGE, BRISBANE

FRIDAY, 8 AUGUST 2025

All photos by Alec Smart @alecsmart_fotos

The Riverstage is a sea of ponchos tonight — one of those cold, sideways-rain Brisbane evenings where you start wondering if the merch stand sells hoodies. It’s miserable on paper, but no one here seems to care. The energy is alive and damp with anticipation as Bloc Party roll into town for the final Australian date of their 20 Years of Bloc Party tour — a celebration of one of the most game-changing indie rock albums of the 2000s.

Young The Giant playing live in Brisbane

Young The Giant open like they’re playing a sun-drenched Californian amphitheatre, not a damp patch of lawn in the middle of a Brisbane winter. Sameer Gadhia’s presence is commanding, his voice is elastic and effortless, and bounces over the band’s shimmering indie rock like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

They provide some melody for the evening and for 45 minutes, they keep us warm.

Then Bloc Party walk out. Spirits are high, drizzle be damned. Silent Alarm is modern classic, the kind of record that demands you move, sing, and feel — and Brisbane is ready.

But alas, No Silent Alarm in full — despite what the posters and promo teased — but what they do give us is a 20-year joyride through the catalogue. ‘So Here We Are’ into ‘She’s Hearing Voices’ is an early jolt, ‘Flux’ still feels like a shot of euphoric neon, ‘The Prayer’ absolutely towers, and the closing stretch — ‘Plans’, ‘Little Thoughts’, ‘Helicopter’, ‘This Modern Love’, ‘Ratchet’ — is pure release.

Drummer Louise Bartle is a machine on the kit, every hit snapping the songs into place. Still, old-school fans can’t help but miss Matt Tong’s chaos. Russell Lissack’s fringe hasn’t moved since 2005, and neither has his tunnel-vision focus on making his guitar sound like it’s clawing its way out of the speakers. New bassist Harry Deacon keeps it cool, locking in with Bartle so the whole thing runs like clockwork.

And then there’s the Silent Alarm effect — that rush when a riff from 2004 drops and the temperature in the crowd changes. ‘Positive Tension’, ‘Banquet’, ‘Like Eating Glass’… the years fold in on themselves, and suddenly you’re back in a sweaty club with cheap beer and nothing to lose.

Kele Okereke is grinning through the rain, switching between ringleader and poker-faced instigator, dragging us along with him. A couple of newer songs allow the energy to dip a bit, but they know how to snap it back — ‘Helicopter’ has ponchos bouncing, and ‘This Modern Love’ sends everyone home linked arm-in-arm, singing “throw your arms around me” into the night air.

Soaked to the skin, Bloc Party's Brisbane stop is epic despite the weather, they still make it feel like the best house party you’ve been to in years — loud, euphoric, and just messy enough to be magic.