Bloc Party
Bloc Party emerged out of the late ‘90s when friends Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack met at Reading Festival. Matt Tong and Gordon Moakes joined the band afterwards. The band was originally called Angel Range and Union before the foursome decided on Bloc Party in 2003.
Their music is a mixture of alternative and electronic beats, citing influences from bands such as Sonic Youth, Joy Division and The Cure. Bloc party found fame after Kele sent a demo to Franz Ferdinand and they gained attention from record labels and the public after they performed at Domino’s 10th anniversary party in 2003.
Bloc Party went on to release their first single “She’s Hearing Voices” and received vital air play from Steve Lamacq’s show on BBC Radio One. Their debut album Silent Alarm (2005) propelled Bloc Party into one of the top alternative bands of the 2000s.
Silent Alarm reached Platinum and peaked at #3 in the UK Album Charts. More floor fillers with dance-led “Banquet” and "So Here We Are/Positive Tension", "Helicopter" followed, and their success was mirrored in the US where the band toured heavily.
Bloc Party’s second album A Weekend in the City reached #2 on the UK iTunes Chart, even though it was leaked early which meant the physical release followed after. Massive hits "I Still Remember", "Hunting for Witches", and "Flux" and in 2007 allowed the band to perform at Leeds Festival, Reading Festival and Glastonbury.
Their next album Intimacy (2008) contained the hit single “Mercury” allowed Bloc Party to briefly tour North America and the UK throughout 2007-2009.
During 2009-2010 Bloc Party took a temporary hiatus as Russell joined Ash for their A-Z tour, Kele decided to work on solo material and released The Boxer (2010).
In March 2012 Bloc Party announced that their fourth album would be called Four.
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