Glastonbury 2024: Watch Bloc Party perform ‘Banquet’
Almost 20 years ago, Bloc Party announced themselves in grand fashion with their debut album, Silent Alarm, and the tracks from that era still stand up, as they proved on The Other Stage at Glastonbury Festival on June 29th.
Astonishingly, Bloc Party’s performance at Worthy Farm marked their first appearance at the iconic festival since 2009 and is only their third-ever show at Glastonbury. 15 years ago, they headlined The Other Stage, and while they are slightly lower down the bill this time round, it’s still an impressive feat to be in such a respectable position all these years later.
After going on hiatus in 2013 before returning two years later with a new line-up, still including original members Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack, Bloc Party have been enjoying the second chapter of their career. While they’ve only released two albums during the last eight years, in 2024, Bloc Party are as popular as they’ve been for a decade.
Strong music will always find a way to gain longevity, and although the crowd was more silent when Bloc Party played recent material, ‘Banquet’ was sung at the top of the lungs. It’s likely many at The Other Stage were first introduced to the band through FIFA 06 when they were still at primary school, while others recently discovered them on TikTok.
Either way, none of the aforementioned sets of people in the crowd were old enough to be at the raucous gigs and be at the barrier to witness Bloc Party live in 2005, but now, it’s their chance to enjoy the brilliance of the indie icons.
While a considerable amount of guitar music from that era has been derided in recent years and banished to the landfill, Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm is an album that would have risen to the top in whatever era it was released.
Unlike many records from that era, which were also celebrated at the time, it still sounds fresh after two decades, and the reaction from the masses on The Other Stage will only enhance Bloc Party as they currently ride on the crest of a nostalgia-shaped wave.
Following their celebratory Glastonbury performance, Bloc Party are set to play Silent Alarm in full at Crystal Palace Park in London on July 7th, marking the biggest headline show of their career.
Upon announcing the show, Okereke said: “We’ve been having so much fun playing shows over the past year, so it makes sense to do something special for old and new fans, celebrating twenty years of Bloc Party. We heard from a lot of people that they couldn’t get tickets for the Silent Alarm gigs, so a one-off summer party playing that and the bangers feels like the right thing to do.”
Take a step back in time and watch Bloc Party play ‘Banquet’ at Glastonbury Festival below.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.