At the Commodore on Sunday, April 26

It’s hard to believe now, but there was a time when indie rock and club culture didn’t go hand in hand. While they once seemed diametrically opposed, these days you can find foppish hipsters mingling with dance-floor divas at spots like the Biltmore or the Bourbon, where the DJs can be just as big a draw, if not bigger, than the live acts.

Some would argue that underground rock’s crossover into the land of block rocking beats happened a long time ago—like when punk met disco in the late ’70s. However, after the too-cool-for-school alt-rock scene of the ’90s reduced many to standing with their arms crossed while barely nodding their heads, ’00-era acts began releasing records that showcased heavy riffs for the bangers and extended remixes for the booty shakers.

London’s Bloc Party—who played the first of two sold-out Commodore shows on Sunday—isn’t the first outfit to pair loud guitars with disco beats, but it’s definitely cashed in. Walking on-stage to intro music that could have passed for a long-lost Erasure tune, the band quickly barrelled into the genre-bending “One Month Off”. Distorted guitars jutted above drummer Matt Tong’s busy high-hat work, while vocalist Kele Okerke excitedly warbled into his microphone.

The singer’s unending energy had him bounding about the stage throughout the 18-song set, shuffling his feet, flapping his arms, neurotically tugging at his shirt, and shaking his mini-dreads wildly before firing out viciously tight guitar lines. Interestingly, the musician was flanked by the coolly calm combo of guitarist Russell Lissack and bassist Gordon Moakes. Lissack seemed especially detached from the rest of the group, often just staring at the floor, but he could’ve been just too focused on his impressive array of effects pedals that made his six-string sound like a Star Trek phaser set to stun.

While Bloc Party did occasionally deviate from its usual sound, with the glockenspiel-driven lullaby “Signs” and the acoustic guitars of “Letter to My Son”, the Commodore crowd seemed much happier working it on the floor to the ensemble’s dance numbers.

The concert highlight, “Mercury”, blended chopped and screwed vocals that made Okerke’s voice sound lower than Mike Jones on a syrup bender with Tong’s break beats and a wobbly, fidget-house-style synth line courtesy of Moakes. Capping off a four-song encore with “Helicopter”, from its debut disc Silent Alarm, the quartet finished off an 80-minute set in fine form, with its fans dripping in sweat from moving their feet all night.

Much like Bloc Party, locals Hot Hot Heat are no strangers to dancey rock anthems. The openers plunged into their back catalogue of catchy hits like “Goodnight Goodnight” and “No, Not Now”, which vocalist Steve Bays cheerfully crooned to the crowd. Despite the band’s recent pop leanings, new songs from the group’s upcoming album found the outfit flirting with its raucous synth-punk roots. Hard-edged tunes like the pounding carnival metal of “Times a Thousand” and the doomy, Sabbath-on-speed vibe of “Implosniatic” were a refreshing reminder that Hot Hot Heat wasn’t always tailor-made for radio airplay.