Bloc Party
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Bloc_party.jpg
Bloc Party are a British art-punk band. The band has been around in various guises since 2002, with names like The Angel Range, Diet and Union, before settling on Bloc Party in September 2003.
Band members Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack, who both grew up in Essex, have formed the fulcrum of these various incarnations, and were subsequently joined by bassist Gordon Moakes, and most recently drummer Matt Tong.
The band got their break after singer Kele Okereke went to a Franz Ferdinand concert in 2003, and was able to thrust a demo CD containing the song “She’s Hearing Voices” into the hands of both Franz lead singer Alex Kapranos and Radio One DJ Steve Lamacq. Lamacq subsequently played the song on his radio show, labeling the track “genius”, and invited them to record a live session for the show.
This sparked an A&R frenzy, leading to the eventual signing with indie label Wichita Records.
Their spiky, intelligent and passionate guitar rock draws on influences such as Sonic Youth, Joy Division, Gang of Four and the Cure.
Their critically acclaimed debut album, Silent Alarm, released in February 2005, went to #3 on UK album charts, with the single "So Here We Are" making the top 5.
Guitarist Russell Lissack's a-symmetrical haircut was featured in NME as the new haircut for 2005, labeled by the magazine as 'the bloc head', although Lissack is reportedly considering cutting off his trademark fringe.
Often compared to contemporaries Franz Ferdinand.
The name is a play on block party, a name for a quasi-informal neighborhood festival, which might hire a local band as entertainment.
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Band members
- Kele Okereke (Voice and Guitar)
- Russell Lissack (Guitar)
- Gordon Moakes (Voice and Bass)
- Matt Tong (Drums)
Discography
EPs
- Banquet (Bloc Party EP) - (September 2004)
- Little Thoughts EP - (December 2004, Japanese only)
Singles
- "She's Hearing Voices" (February 2004)
- "Banquet"/"Staying Fat" - (May 2004, #51 UK)
- "Little Thoughts"/"Tulips" - (July 2004, #38 UK)
- "Helicopter" - (October 2004, #26 UK)
- "Tulips" - (January 2005)
- "So Here We Are"/"Positive Tension" - (January 2005, #5 UK)
- "Banquet" - (April 2005, #13 UK)
- "The Pioneers" - (July 2005)
Albums
- Silent Alarm - (February 2005, #3 UK)
Trivia
Bloc Party is a song by french hip-hop band Psy 4 De La Rime
See Also
External links
- Official Site (http://www.blocparty.com)
- fansite (http://www.blocparty.net)
- NME's Bloc Party page (http://nme.com/artists/251713.htm)
- andrewkendall.com - Bloc Party photographs (http://www.andrewkendall.com/pages/gallery/musicphotography.php?band=blocparty&viewby=all&Submit=Go)
- MusicWiki entry (http://www.music-wiki.org/Bloc_Party)
- Bloc Party performance on KCRW (http://kcrw.org/cgi-bin/db/kcrw.pl?show_code=mb&air_date=3/22/05&tmplt_type=show)
- Bloc Party lyrics (http://www.songmeanings.net/artist.php?aid=137438961949) at SongMeanings