Kele Okereke (Bloc Party) part 2

Kele Okereke used these words to describe the intent behind Bloc Party's third record, Intimacy (2008):

"I was over the Indie Rock explosion of the early 00s as it just seemed so sanitized and rigid. I longed for a different kind of experience. I longed for the danger and the thrill I felt as a teenager when I first started going to raves."

"I have always been very vocal about my love of Electronic music, from Techno, to Drum n Bass, to Garage, it was all prevalent where I grew up in London. Bloc Party guitarist Russell Lissack and I bonded over a love of house music, often frequenting clubs like Peach at the now-defunct Camden Palace or free Friday nights at Heaven. Looking back at my teenage years, I am so glad that I was exposed to so many different types of music growing up, it has made my sense of genre more fluid. I'm not scared to mash together disparate ideas and see what happens. This was very much the approach at the back of our heads when Bloc Party made our third record, Intimacy. We started experimenting with the studio, deconstructing how we played our instruments, not relying on tried-and-tested methods. A lot of people couldn't see why were we attempting to tamper with a formula that was so successful. I have always maintained that art has to go against the grain. Or else, what is it for? And although it's definitely flawed in places, Intimacy is the record that I am most proud of; I can see clearly how it has lead me to be the musician that I am at today."

Intimacy was generally well received by critics. Commercially, it was slightly less successful than their previous albums, peaking at #2 in Belgium, #5 in Australia, #8 in the UK, #12 in Ireland, #14 in New Zealand, #17 in Canada, #18 in the US and Germany, and #22 in France.

First single was Mercury. It made #16 in the UK.

Talons was the band's next single:

The third single off the album was called One Month Off. It's about being in love with someone younger and unfaithful. The lyrics:

Well there were 7 years between us seems that all my friends were right

That we can't survive on your bedroom eyes and a Spanish guitar

When we started this it was paradise, not just Bethnal Green

And it's just not right this waiting game, making a cuckold of me

I can be as cruel as you

Fighting fire with firewood

I can be as cruel as you

Fighting lies with lies

If you need time

And it's just not like me to lash out, but enough is enough

Tell me what the others can do that I can't

Translucent and sun bleached skin, when did you get so LA

How can you desert me after all we've been through

Stuck on a dream that somewhere it's better

You'll be the one missing out

The song:

The lyrics in the chorus of Ion Square are based on E. E. Cummings' poem "I Carry Your Heart with Me". Okereke considers the song a personal favourite because it evokes the initial exciting stages of a new relationship when everything is going right.

One More Chance (2009) was a single-only release, which made #15 in the UK Single chart.

In July 2009, Okereke stated that the band did not have a current recording contract and had no obligation or pressure to release a new album in the foreseeable future; he went on to suggest that the release of a fourth album was on an indefinite timescale. Following the release of One More Chance, the group went on a hiatus, with the members unsure as to whether they would carry on.

During this period of hiatus Lissack revived his project Pin Me Down and joined the live line-up of Irish rock-band Ash as guitarist and synthesiser player on their touring for the A–Z Series. Moakes formed the group Young Legionnaire with Paul Mullen, vocalist & guitarist of The Automatic, and William Bowerman, drummer for La Roux, releasing a single, Colossus in August 2010. Okereke released a solo album, The Boxer, in June 2010. Produced by Hudson Mohawke and XXXChange, its release was preceded by the single Tenderoni. It made #31 in the UK Singles chart and #6 in the UK Dance chart. It is a gay fave.

The Boxer came out in June 2010 and received generally favourable reviews from critics, currently holding an aggregate score of 70 on Metacritic. It peaked at #20 in the UK Singles chart and #2 in the UK Dance chart.

A few months before the release of The Boxer, in March 2010 Okereke came out as gay in a BUTT magazine article, and he then gave an interview and appeared on the front cover of the June 2010 issue of Attitude magazine. Previously he had been reluctant to discuss his sexuality, though he had compared himself to famous bisexuals Brian Molko of Placebo and David Bowie, as well as Morrissey. He also discussed the homoerotic story behind the Bloc Party song I Still Remember and the semi-autobiographical nature of it. In June 2010 Okereke was named as the Sexiest Out Gay Male Artist by music website LP33 in its annual survey.

Next solo single was Everything You Wanted, a song of regret over a love that is not there anymore:

In 2011, Kele released an EP called Hunter, which featured the single What Did I Do? (Lucy Taylor is on guest vocals):

In May 2012, Bloc Party announced Four, which was released on 20 August 2012, achieving a score of 68 on Metacritic and peaking at #2 in Belgium, #3 in the UK and Australia, #6 in Germany, #9 in Canada, #10 in Ireland and Austria, #17 in New Zealand, #21 in France, and #36 in the US.

Lead single was Octopus. Billboard called the track "pure Rock 'n' Roll".

Truth was also released as a single in 2013. The video was shot at 120 frames per second, (the usual being 24-25), serving as a precursor to the new Ang Lee movie, also shot at 120 frames per second.

During the summer tour of 2013, drummer Matt Tong left the band. In October 2014 Okereke released his second solo album called Trick. It made #9 in the UK Dance Albums chart. Doubt was the first single off the album:

Kele's last solo single, so far, is Closer. It features Jodie Scantlebury in guest vocals.

In a 2014 interview with NBHAP, Okereke told that he is "excited about the future. There is a lot going on, a lot of upheaval but with change comes the opportunity for rebirth, which is my favourite kind of experience."

Following the departure of drummer Matt Tong, in March 2015 bassist Gordon Moakes tweeted he had parted ways with Bloc Party. Okereke and Lissack replaced them with bassist Justin Harris (ex-Menomena) and drummer Louise Bartle. This is the line-up that appears in the photo above.

The latest Bloc Party album, called Hymns, was released 7 months ago. It received mixed reviews from critics, achieving a score of 55 on Metacritic. It peaked at #12 in in the UK, and #15 in Australia. The first single was The Love Within:

Only He Can Heal Me ventures in Gospel territory:

The lyrics in So Real deliver an emotion that is as strong as the music is simple and that emotion is how one feels when a relationship ends and you begin to question how real things really were.

Finally, in Different Drugs, a ghostly guitar riff that soars around the room while remaining grounded by the bassline, hovers over a drum pattern that is sporadic and complex. Kele sings in his renowned charm various verses that consist of head voice and falsetto as the track builds and builds

Bloc Party have sold over 3 million albums worldwide, and although they appear to have dropped to a lower level of critical and commercial success, I don't think that the game is over yet, especially for Kele. As he himself has recently said: "I don’t know what the future’s going to look like, but I feel that right now it just feels right."