Introduced in 2004, Sennheiser's 900 Series features a range of powerful transparent mics ideally suited for stage use with excellent transient response and feedback rejection. Bloc Party FOH engineer Pete Bartlett has chosen the e935 for Kele's lead vocals and explains, "The e935 has given me far greater definition on Kele's voice, crisp and clean, but it also copes easily with his wide range, and dynamic variations". An e935 and e945 are used by Matt and Gordon respectively on backing vocals.
The bass is miked up with the legendary all-rounder MD421, and the e606 on guitar cabs. For drums the choice is predominately the evolution 900 series. An e901 and MD441 is used on the kick drum, with e904's on toms. Bartlett says, 'I've fallen totally in love with the e901, and wouldn't entertain anything else for Bloc Party, I'm growing tired of hearing "Great Kick sound man, what's in there!"'
Produced for live use, the 900 Series fits perfectly with the band's style, and to say it's been a good year for Bloc Party would be an understatement. Having been rocking the Camden indie circuit under various guises since 2002 it wasn't until last year that the A&R guys began clambering over each to snap them up.
After two headline tours, and appearances at Glastonbury and Reading, it's looking increasingly likely that 2005 will be the year Bloc Party transformed from young upstarts into fully-fledged rock stars. Three top-twenty singles and a number two album confirm the rapid rise of a band which has seemingly come from nowhere to achieve huge success in a very short space of time.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
