Bloc Party

Bloc Party is an English indie rock band that forms in Reading, United Kingdom, in 1999 and remains active. The group centres on Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack, with Matt Tong and Gordon Moakes as part of the original line-up. Later members include Louise Bartle, Sarah Jones and Justin Harris. The band’s sound covers alternative rock, art rock, dance-punk, indie rock, indietronica and new rave, and it also draws on post-punk revival, electronica and house music.

Formation and early years

Okereke and Lissack first meet in London in 1998 and decide to form a band after reconnecting at the Reading Festival in 1999. Moakes joins after answering an advertisement in NME, and Tong joins after an audition. Before taking the name Bloc Party in 2003, the group performs under the names Union, The Angel Range and Diet. The band says the name is not intended as a political reference.

Breakthrough and debut album

Bloc Party releases the single “She’s Hearing Voices” in 2003 through Trash Aesthetics. Wider attention follows after Okereke gives copies of the track to BBC Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq and Franz Ferdinand singer Alex Kapranos. Lamacq plays the song on his programme and invites the band to record a live session, which helps lead to a deal with Wichita Recordings in 2004.

The debut album, Silent Alarm, appears in 2005. It reaches number three on the UK Albums Chart and later goes platinum in the United Kingdom. Singles from the album include “So Here We Are”, “Banquet”, “Helicopter” and “Pioneers”. A remix album, Silent Alarm Remixed, follows later in 2005 and includes contributions from Ladytron, M83, Four Tet and Mogwai. The band also issues the single “Two More Years” during this period.

Second and third albums

A Weekend in the City is released in 2007 and produced by Garret “Jacknife” Lee. It reaches number two in the UK and number twelve on the Billboard 200 in the United States. Its lead single, “The Prayer”, becomes the band’s highest-charting UK single, reaching number four. Other singles from the album include “I Still Remember”, “Hunting for Witches” and “Flux”. During this period, Bloc Party performs at major festivals including Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, T in the Park, Oxegen and Live Earth.

The third album, Intimacy, appears in 2008 after being made available digitally shortly after its announcement and later receiving a physical release. Its singles include “Mercury” and “Talons”. A remix album, Intimacy Remixed, follows in 2009, along with the standalone single “One More Chance”.

Hiatus, solo work and later albums

Bloc Party enters a hiatus in 2009 while members pursue other projects. During this period, Okereke releases the solo album The Boxer, Lissack revives Pin Me Down and tours with Ash, and Moakes forms Young Legionnaire. Rumours that Okereke has left the band are denied by the other members.

The group reunites in 2011 and starts work on a fourth album. Four is released in 2012 and reaches number three in the UK. Singles from it include “Octopus”, “Day Four”, “Kettling” and “Truth”. In 2013, the band releases The Nextwave Sessions EP. Tong leaves during the 2013 tour, and the band enters another hiatus. Moakes departs in 2015.

Okereke and Lissack later continue with new material as Justin Harris and Louise Bartle join the line-up. Hymns is released in 2016 and is the first Bloc Party album to feature Bartle and Harris. That year the band also releases the standalone single “Stunt Queen”. In 2018 and 2019, Bloc Party tours with full performances of Silent Alarm to mark the album’s anniversary.

Recent activity

Work on the sixth studio album begins in 2020. Alpha Games is released in 2022 and is preceded by the singles “Traps”, “The Girls Are Fighting”, “Sex Magik” and “If We Get Caught”. In 2023, the band releases The High Life EP, featuring “High Life” and “Keep It Rolling”. Harry Deacon later joins on bass, replacing Justin Harris. In 2024, Bloc Party releases the standalone single “Flirting Again” and the compilation A Weekend in the City: B-Sides, which gathers demos and B-sides from the A Weekend in the City era. Following a world tour in 2025 celebrating the anniversaries of Silent Alarm and the band’s formation, Bloc Party announces work on its seventh studio album with producer Trevor Horn. The album Anatomy of a Brief Romance is announced in 2026, with “Coming On Strong” issued as the lead single.

Standing and style

Bloc Party has sold more than three million albums worldwide and is closely associated with the 2000s post-punk revival. Critics note the band’s mix of rhythmic guitar work, electronic influences and melodic songwriting.