Bloc Party rounded off an amazing year last night (December 18) with a festive fanclub show at KOKO in London reports NME.com.
The four-piece completed a hectic but hugely successful 2005 by thanking their close supporters with a 75 minute set packed with hit singles and a selection of rarities.
Unlike their previous Christmas show at the Heaven club just over a year ago when the band turned up onstage in fancy dress, this time around they stripped it down for the most part for a "back to basics show."
Yet both the fans and the band couldn't avoid getting into the festive swing of things right from the kick off when East 17's Christmas hit 'Stay Another Day' was blasted out to huge cheers and singalongs when Bloc Party took to the stage.
The four-piece, who were on jovial form throughout, also found themselves sticking the odd Santa hat on here and there in the early part of the set before they threw them into the audience.
Speaking before the show bassist Gordon Moakes told NME.COM: "Last time we played a standard set and we dressed up and got into the Christmas theme. This time there's not gonna be any of that. Because this is the last moment of the year for us and the album, this is a way of capping it off. Then we can start entirely fresh next time we play. It's kind of back to basics tonight."
Drummer Matt Tong added: "It is just like thank you to our fans and our hardcore for supporting us throughout this year."
Kicking off the show with 'The Marshals Are Dead', the band tore through a frenetic set which included the likes of 'Banquet', 'Like Eating Glass' and the track 'Helicopter' which saw singer Kele Okereke get hit in the face with a bar of chocolate when he sang the lyrics "as if to say, as if to say..as if to say he doesn't like chocolate'.
They also treated the fans, many of whom were sporting Santa hats with flashing red lights, to a selection of well known b-sides such as 'Tulips', 'Staying Fat' and 'Always New Depths', a song which Kele revealed to the audience the band "hadn't played since we first got signed".
Later, Gordon dedicated single 'Two More Years' to his girfriend and "everyone one of our crew this year and everyone who has ever worked for Bloc Party ever".
As the band rounded off their night Kele said: "Thank you very much for coming and buying our album. Hopefully we'll see some of you next year."
Bloc Party played:
'The Marshals Are Dead'
'Positive Tension'
'Banquet'
'Skeleton'
'This Modern Love'
'The Present'
'Staying Fat'
'She's Hearing Voices'
'So Here We Are'
'Like Eating Glass'
'Two More Years'
'Helicopter'
'Tulips'
'Always New Depths'
'Compliments'
'The Pioneers'
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