We caught up with Kele Okereke, front man of legendary indie rock outfit Bloc Party, shortly after he touched down in Melbourne.
It’s hard to explain the impact of Bloc Party to those who weren’t old enough to fully experience it. The new rock revolution was in full bloom following the grunge heydays of the 90s, largely thanks to bands like The Strokes, The White Stripes, and The Vines, and we were beginning to see the second wave of bands from that scene begin to flourish. Enter Bloc Party.
2005’s Silent Alarm was like a shot of electricity, spawning legendary singles ‘Helicopter’ and ‘Banquet’, each of which were remixed and injected into the rising dance scene. Bloc Party’s ferocious interpretation of post-punk saw them on the cover of magazines, performing on late night talk shows, and headlining festivals around the world, including our own Splendour In The Grass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R6S5CJWlco
Fast forward 18 years and they’ve released six albums, seven EPs and two remixed albums, all the while maintaining a certain enigmatic presence in the music world. This month, they’re linking up with fellow indie-rock stalwarts Interpol for an Australian tour that will see them perform at some huge venues (we’re talking The Hordern X 2!), proving that the love for them here is as strong as ever.
We poured ourself a glass of Don Julio 1942 tequila and chatted with Kele about that love, their lasting impact and more. Check it out below:
You’ve been coming to Australia for nearly 20 years now. Are there any particular memories or things that stand out about Aus that you love?
There are so many good memories I’ve had of visiting Australia and performing here. I always enjoyed playing, is it the Riverstage in Brisbane? We played it a few times and it’s always such a beautiful view and the shows were always really nice. I also have to shout out Splendour In The Grass.
You’ve just touched down in Melbourne. What’s the first thing you do when you arrive in a new city?
The first one is usually going to get food because I’m always hungry these days. But I go for a walk – The streets were quite busy, so I didn’t stay out too late. I have a bath, actually, that’s a good thing after long flights that I’ve started to notice. Having a deep soak. It’s always good to help you get a good night sleep , which is what you really want so you can be on an even footing.
‘The High Life’ was a pretty quick follow up to 2022’s ‘Alpha Games’ – what was the motivation there – did you have more that you wanted to get off your chest?
We’ve always been the sort of band that likes to release new music shortly after albums. And that’s really because we like to be creative and when we’re on the road we like to stay active and stay writing. So we always have a surplus of material. But yeah, that’s that was kind of where it came from really – we get bored quite quickly, so we’re always working on new stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8ctVP34T3I
You’re about to be touring with Interpol. Obviously you guys came up around the same time, what’s your relationship like?
We opened for them when our first album, Silent Alarm came out. That was the first time we ever tour with another act. And we were super excited because we were all big fans Interpol back then and they were all really nice people. So it will be nice to catch up with them again 20 years later, I’m looking forward to it. They’re a band that I’ve followed and loved for a long time.
How do you drink your tequila?
Neat. When I’m drinking it tends to be that time of the night… there’s no messing around when I reach for the tequila.
Bloc Party were at the forefront of a movement, the indie-rock revolution of the 2000s. Do you recognise those kinds of scenes or moments happening these days? Or has it been ruined by social media etc?
Yeah, I feel like you. Maybe I’m of a different age now where I’m not on TikTok or anything like that, so I don’t feel so connected to what young people are doing anymore. So yeah, I don’t really know if that period in history when we came out, I don’t really know if it’s been replicated, if there were new bands and stuff that people are falling for.
I feel like kids will always find a way to be excited about new things. I think that’s what’s supposed to happen, really. We’re supposed to become dinosaurs and the young people get obsessed by new things, so I’m not so worried about that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y86GEcmcnw
I’m told that Don Julio 1942 tequila is the official drink of glamour. What does that word mean to you?
It means razzle dazzle… It means the highlight, it means showbiz, it means showing out. Yeah. I’m not afraid of a little bit of glamour every now and again.
When you guys were first coming up, bands like Depeche Mode and The Smiths were kinda where you’re at now. Did you think back in those days that you’d make it there?
I don’t really think there was ever really a game plan or there was ever a sense of, “Will we be doing this in 20, 30 years?” Although we had belief and we had passion in what we were doing, I don’t think there was really a sense of how this is going to work 20 years later. We just weren’t really thinking about that. We were only really thinking about being in the moment and expressing ourselves in that moment. So I guess it’s been quite a gift.
I guess it’s been a real blessing that we’ve been able to have the kind of career that we’ve been able to have, the longevity that we’ve been able to have. I wouldn’t have imagined back then that I’d be in this situation now, but I am thankful and I guess about being viewed as an elder statesman or something of rock music. That wasn’t really ever on the cards.
It feels nice to know that we have a catalog of music and history that people can get into and explore. I always wanted to be an artist that had a back catalog. I always wanted to be an artist that people could go and investigate and I think we’ve done that. We’ve made enough records that we’re proud of that there is a legacy or at least there was a story there. Yeah, I’m thankful. I’m definitely thankful.
