As if British dance-rock musicians weren’t adorable enough – what with their overt politeness and quaint fashion sense – their reactions to a positively Californian experience made them downright precious. The singers from Bloc Party , Does It Offend You, Yeah? , and Friendly Fires all waxed goofily on the 5.4 earthquake that struck the Los Angeles area earlier that day. And in line with such a phenomenon, the bands shook their audience into a furor all night long at the Mayan on July 29.
St. Albans’ Friendly Fires stoked early arrivers with a raucous blend of excitable disco beats and cerebral riffs. Frontman Ed Macfarlane, the visual amalgam of Michael Cera and Mick Jagger, flounced around stage as his mates made a clatter on a pile of percussion instruments. Likewise, DIOYY reveled in the glory of cowbell. A lively cluster of fans at stage right screamed the lyrics to the tawdry “Let’s Make Out” as Fresh Prince doppelganger Morgan Quaintance leaned the mic out into the crowd.
Praise the Brits for their punctuality, too. Bloc Party hit the stage precisely at 10 p.m. Singer/guitarist Kele Okereke beamed, brandishing his Barack Obama t-shirt and the frantic opening riff of “Hunting for Witches.” The foursome (including temporary bassist Daniel Lindegren, filling in for father-to-be Gordon Moakes) kept things at a fast pace for most of the 90-minute set, which even included a tease of Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U.” But romance infiltrated midway when a fellow was called to the stage to propose to his girlfriend. She accepted, and the band dedicated the tender dance ballad “This Modern Love” to the newly engaged couple.
The nearly sublime set was muddled only by “Mercury” – a lumpy, spacey track expected to appear on their upcoming third album – and the brief malfunction of Matt Tong’s drums. But once the roadies performed emergency snare surgery, the night ended on a high note. Okereke ran through the crowd, kicking up some seismic activity of his own.
– Melissa Bobbitt
Bloc Party : www.blocparty.com
Does It Offend You, Yeah? : www.doesitoffendyou.com
Friendly Fires : www.wearefriendlyfires.com