Saturday, 24 October, 2009
Bloc Party are an English indie rock band. In 2005, the band released their critically acclaimed debut album Silent Alarm. Their second studio album, A Weekend in the City was released on February 5, 2007 in the United Kingdom and February 6 in the United States. A third album, Intimacy, was released in August 2008 as a download and later as a CD release on October 27. The band consists of Kele Okereke (vocals, guitar), Russell Lissack (guitar), Gordon Moakes (bass, vocals) and Matt Tong (drums).
Bloc Party have been together since 2002, with names such as Superheroes of BMX, The Angel Range, Diet, and Union, before settling on Bloc Party in September 2003. Band members Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack have formed the fulcrum of these various incarnations, and were subsequently joined by bassist Gordon Moakes who answered an advert in the NME, and most recently drummer Matt Tong. Lissack and singer/guitarist Kele Okereke first met in 1998 in Essex, where Lissack had grown up and Okereke attended school. Lissack attended Bancroft’s School and Okereke attended Ilford County High School until 16 then Trinity School for sixth form. They bumped into each other again in 1999 at the Reading Festival and soon after formed the band Union.
In 2003 they changed their name from Union to Bloc Party. The name is a play on block party, a name for an informal neighbourhood festival, which might hire a local band as entertainment.