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Bloc Party
It’s always a party at U.K. rockers’ shows
Bloc Party
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The scenario seems unlikely in all but the most idyllic of rock and roll dreams: budding musician goes to a concert, happens to run into a well-known DJ and famous rock star and gets a break for his own, relatively new band in the process. But that’s the story behind Bloc Party’s first taste of success. Lead singer Kele Okereke handed a copy of the band’s demo, with the single “She’s Hearing Voices,” to Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos and DJ Steve Lamacq while at the former’s gig. Soon afterward, Bloc broke out.
Bloc Party, in a very early version, formed in 1999 when singer Okereke and Russell Lissack (lead guitar) decided to start a band. They soon picked up bassist Gordon Moakes and drummer Matt Tong through auditions and want ads. Citing acts as diverse as the Smashing Pumpkins, Les Savy Fav and the Cure as influences, U.K.’s Bloc Party developed a style all their own with the release of their 2005 debut LP, Silent Alarm, which made NME’s Album of the Year list. Matt Tong’s staccato rhythms blended with Lissack’s rich guitar riffs and Okereke’s sometimes theatrical, sometimes sentimental vocals, resulting in a sound nostalgic but completely fresh.
With the release of their 2006 album, A Weekend in the City, the band was poised to conquer the U.S. Singles like “The Prayer” and “I Still Remember” felt vaguely familiar in the distant way a childhood memory does. The band has taken a departure from their first two releases with 2008’s Intimacy, an album slightly schizophrenic and completely frantic. Lyrics are shouted over heavier rhythms and the sound is much more polished.
At a live Bloc Party show, the audience is always treated to an understated yet completely thrilling dance party where music has the capacity to inspire. This time around, with the new sound of Intimacy, an urgency will most likely show up in the band’s act, adding to their already solid reputation as live performers.