It’s always a bit scary when a member of a band you love gets his own little bit of individualistic intuition and decides to split off for a side project. Of course, it happens all the time, and there are some that revel in success. But more often than not, it ends in disappointment, unfair comparisons to original work and leaving much to be desired.
On Saturday, Kele Okereke took over San Francisco’s Mezzanine to provide the Bay Area with its first taste of his debut solo album, “The Boxer.” Delayed from the originally scheduled July performance at Popscene, the show represented something of a reincarnation of the Bloc Party front man, whose reserved front was left backstage as he opted for an animated performance full of crowd banter and shirtless dance moves.
But before Kele came on, the stage was warmed by Pennsylvania’s Innerpartysystem and the always-popular, radio announcer nightmare Does It Offend You, Yeah? Touring in support of their newest single, “American Trash,” Innerpartysystem kicked off the night, bursting through the smoke and lasers with energetic synths and fat cymbal hits. Yet while the energy was there, the trio was your average group of laptop junkies, trapped behind their synths and allowing for little to no crowd interaction at such an intimate venue. Also, someone please tell lead singer Patrick Nissley that berets died with scrappy pop punk.
For some at Mezzanine, the main draw of the night wasn’t Kele, but rather English comrades Does It Offend You, Yeah?, whose show exceeded all expectations even with lead singer James Rushent absent. Really, how many bands can lose their singer and still play a solid 50-minute set? With Rushent out of commission due to illness, the remaining foursome stormed the stage with a variety of mainly instrumental hits ranging from “Battle Royale” to new selections off their soon-to-be-released sophomore LP, “Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You.”
Guitarist Matty Derham took over crowd conversation duty for the night, as the band used the gig to gauge crowd reaction to new material. And if circle moshes and obligatory crowd surfing are any indication, the second album should get the fast track to immediate release. Putting a rough tour behind them – one which has seen band members fall ill, mugged and sent to the ER after stage-diving mishaps – DIOYY played an ear-raiding set, as they alternated lead mic duties. Of particular note were new track, “We Are The Dead,” whose live power overwhelmed the free recording on the band’s website, and fan-favorite, “We Are Rockstars,” which sent Derham flying into the crowd to close out the set.
While the crowd was already sweating from the previous whirlwind, Kele took the stage well past midnight, insisting that the party was only just beginning. Sporting Adidas gym shorts and a Public Enemy shirt, the Bloc Party leader immediately cast aside reservations regarding his withdrawn stage persona, launching into crowd conversations that ranged in topic from drug paraphernalia found on stage to girl fights. Yet, even larger questions remained over Kele’s material: Could it sustain a long set? Could it set him apart from earlier accomplishments? Would it appeal to Bloc Party followers?
Needless to say, these questions were put to bed. Kele existed in a liminal space between individualism and ties to his first band, allowing him to transition between new material and old BP favorites. Swaying like a prizefighter, he unleashed “Everything You Wanted,” but assumed his collected stylings for a Bloc Party medley which consisted of beefed-up versions of “Blue Light,” “The Prayer” and “One More Chance.”
Losing his shirt before the encore, Kele was a livewire, flashing his teeth and channeling Beyoncé as he strutted across stage. But the best was saved for last, as Kele and his backing band changed the set list on the fly to submit to crowd requests of “Your Visits Are Getting Shorter.” And by the time the first electro loops of “Flux” bounced off the walls, the crowd was delirious, grabbing at Kele as he embraced crowd members before the lights cut out on a memorable show.
A version of this review appeared at Treeswingers.com on Tuesday, Sept. 21.