8 August 2025 – Riverstage, Brisbane – words and pictures by Bec Harbour
The final night of Bloc Party’s Australian leg of the Silent Alarm 20th anniversary tour was always going to feel special, but Brisbane’s Riverstage turned it into something unforgettable, and Brisbane does love Bloc Party. The weather, however, had other ideas — just before Bloc Party’s set, the heavens opened, and a downpour sent the crowd scrambling for ponchos, jackets, or just the resolve to dance in the rain.
Before Bloc Party took over, Californian indie-rockers Young the Giant warmed up the Riverstage. I’d heard of them before, but thought I’d never actually heard their music — that is, until their opening number, which I’m fairly sure was ‘Evergreen’, jogged a memory. The Brisbane crowd gave them a solid turnout, happily singing along as the band slipped a newer track into their opening three songs. The set was tight, atmospheric, and the perfect warm up to the night’s headliners.
Young the Giant – Riverstage Brisbane – photos by Bec Harbour
Bloc Party opened with ‘So Here We Are’, and as the rain streamed down, the stage lights refracted into the mist, giving the Riverstage a hazy glow. Between the first and second songs, frontman Kele Okereke coaxed the drenched but ecstatic crowd into clapping above their heads — a scene of thousands moving in unison.
From there, the set roared into ‘She’s Hearing Voices’and ‘Mercury’, with the rhythmic pulse of ‘Price of Gasoline’ cutting through the wet night air. The quieter moments, like ‘Blue Light’, shimmered with intimacy, before the jagged energy of ‘Song for Clay (Disappear Here)’ and ‘Banquet’ reignited the frenzy.
Bloc Party – Riverstage – photos by Bec Harbour
Mid-set highlights included the sharp hooks of ‘Traps’, the layered harmonies of ‘Only He Can Heal Me’, and the euphoric lift of ‘The Healing’ and ‘The Love Within’. Even album cuts like ‘Blue’ and ‘Positive Tension’ landed with force, before the propulsive ‘The Prayer’and ‘Like Eating Glass’ closed out the main set in a rush of sweat, dancers in soggy ponchos, and guitar noise.
The encore began on a more measured note with ‘Plans’, before the playful bounce of ‘Little Thoughts’ brought smiles across the crowd. By the time ‘Helicopter’ tore into its opening riff, the Riverstage was a mass of jumping bodies. The night closed with ‘This Modern Love’, the perfect bittersweet singalong, and ‘Ratchet’, which exploded into a final burst of chaotic joy.
Bloc Party – Riverstage – photos by Bec Harbour
As the band took their leave, there was a sense that the downpour hadn’t ruined the night at all — just the opposite Brisbane punters are used to unexpected weather and just rolled with it. The rain became part of the experience, binding everyone there in a shared moment rustling about in their ponchos and raincoats. For the final Australian show, for such an influential and well loved album such as Silent Alarm, Bloc Party knocked it out of the park.
