Formed at the Reading Festival in 1999 by front man/rhythm guitarist Kele Okereke and lead guitarist Russell Lissack, Bloc Party have been said to draw influences from bands such as Talking Heads, Joy Division, The Cure and Radiohead. Their 3 album deal with Wichita Recordings: “Silent Alarm” (2005), “A Weekend in the City” (2007) and “Intimacy” (2008) have proved artistry and versatility worthy of such comparisons.

Tonight, midway through a UK tour and further to their 10th anniversary appearance at Reading, they are welcomed on stage by an elated Brummie audience. The forever grinning Okereke inevitably receives the loudest approval, before the Bloc Party begins with “Halo” and “Positive Tension”.

The first stand-out track “Mercury” is an over-indulgent but ultimately impressive guitar-free affair, submerged in a sea of electronica, with brass, echoing drums and looped vocals liberally applied. Enjoying guitar-less freedom, the vocalist’s exuberance gets the better of him as he climbs into the pit to enjoy direct contact with a number of his devotees, almost garrotting myself and several other photographers with his microphone cable in the process.

“Of all our tour dates I look forward to Birmingham the most” insists “icon-in-waiting” Okereke. His banal banter received as well as he could imagine, before “Hunting for Witches” leads the set into a hail of diverse style shifts. Amongst others, “Song for Clay”, “Blue Light”, “Little Thoughts” and the experimental summer single “One More Chance” are all delivered tightly and concisely.

Having heard good reports about drummer Matt Tong I found myself drawn to his highly proficient performance throughout. Working effortlessly with bass player Gordon Moakes, who sadly couldn’t look less interested if he tried, and layered by Okereke and Lissack, the sticksman drives the performance to the end during “This Modern Love” and “The Prayer”.

The encore tracks are: “Ares”, “Like Eating Glass”, the standalone, high-energy, single “Flux”, and the unrelenting “Helicopter”, all beckoned by hands-in-the-air appreciation from the majority teenage audience.

Bloc Party deliver a polished although unspectacular performance. Their popularity and longevity are evident tonight, although with the band out of contract, talks of a lengthy hiatus, and with Tong suggesting he may turn his back on the music world for good, it’s unsure what will become of them.

Steve Johnston