Bloc Party have been together since 1999, 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. The band have said that the name was not intended to be an allusion to the Soviet Bloc or the Canadian political party Bloc Québécois; the absence of a 'k' is purely for aesthetics.
However, the band's bassist, Gordon Moakes, said on the group's official internet forum that it was more a merging of the eastern "blocs" and the western "parties", in the political sense. Moakes notes that the name was not driven by politics, but rather it "looked, sounded, seemed fine so we went with it."
In November 2003, Bloc Party had their track "The Marshalls Are Dead" featured on a compilation CD called The New Cross released by Angular Recording Corporation. Soon after they released their debut sngle "She's Hearing Voices" on the then fledgling record label Trash Aesthetics.
The band got their break after Okereke went to a Franz Ferdinand concert in 2003, and was able to thrust a copy of the single into the hands of both Franz lead singer Alex Kapranos and Radio One DJ Steve Lamacq. Lamacq subsequently played the song on his radio show, labeling the track "genius", and invited them to record a live session for the show.
The buzz generated off the back of the single sparked some A&R interest, leading to another single "Banquet", this time released by the label Moshi Moshi, and to the eventual signing with indie label Wichita Recordings in April 2004.
Bloc Party's own variation of spiky guitar rock draws on influences such as The Cure, Gang of Four, The Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, Pixies, Joy Division, and XTC, but the band says that some of these bands are just comparisons. Does that last bit even mean anything?
The drumming on Bloc Party songs is often influenced by the London dance and R&B scene whilst the guitar demonstrates typical indie sharpness with alternative panned chords and fast chord picking. To achieve their unique guitar style, BOSS echo effects equipment is implemented and is particularly apparent on the track "Like Eating Glass".
The musical style of A Weekend in the City is more varied, however, drawing influence particularly from more expansive sounding bands, including Radiohead. As large as Bloc Party has been over recent years, they are still in their youth. They have developed unique songs and sounds, but they are still trying to find their own personality. The song "Flux" was released at the end of 2007 as an add-on to A Weekend in the City. The band is coming to terms with its growth and development, and should find itself with its next album.
Silent Alarm (2004–2006)
Their debut album Silent Alarm, released in February 2005, was met with critical acclaim and broke sales records, being voted by NME critics as the 2005 album of the year and reaching #3 on UK album charts (selling platinum in the UK). The second single from the album "So Here We Are" made the top 5 on UK charts. Further singles "Banquet" (which reached #13 in NME's "Top 50 singles of 2005"), "Helicopter" (which featured on the FIFA 06, Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, Project Gotham Racing 3, Burnout Revenge and Guitar Hero III game soundtracks) and "Pioneers" (July 2005), whilst failing to repeat this success, managed to make dents in the UK top 20. The animated video for the single "Pioneers" was number one in the NME video charts for 4 weeks and was made for a tiny budget in four weeks by the Shoreditch based Mini Vegas design agency.
Even though the band was met with good reviews from critics in America, Bloc Party failed to break through to the pop or rock charts in the US.
Bloc Party became one of the most popular new bands of 2005, and the established electronic group The Chemical Brothers soon collaborated with Okereke for "Believe", a track on the Brothers' Push the Button album.
An album of remixes of tracks from Silent Alarm was released at the end of August in the UK. This remix album, Silent Alarm Remixed, retained the album's original track list and includes remixes from the likes of Ladytron, M83, Death from Above 1979, Four Tet and Mogwai.
During July, they recorded two new tracks (titles were given of "Hero" and "Two More Years") with Silent Alarm producer Paul Epworth. The latter, "Two More Years" was released on October 3 to coincide with their October 2005 UK tour. The songs were released as an EP titled Two More Years, accompanied with a re-release of Silent Alarm, which included "Two More Years" itself along with former single "Little Thoughts". The single format of "Two More Years" contained a remix of "Banquet" done by The Streets, for which a video was also recorded.
The band also contributed the track "The Present" to the Help: a Day in the Life compilation, the profits of which benefits the War Child charity.
The single "Banquet" was sampled in 2006 by DJ Green Lantern for a track with Apathy, Tak (of rap duo Styles of Beyond) and Mike Shinoda. The track, entitled "Bloc Party", appears on Green Lantern's Fort Minor: We Major mixtape.
The band released their second album, called A Weekend in the City on February 5, 2007 in the UK and February 6 in the United States. The album debuted at #12 in the Billboard 200 with 48,000 copies sold. It became available via the UK's iTunes store a day ahead of schedule, on February 4, and reached the #2 spot in the Official UK Chart. The album was produced by Jacknife Lee. The first single, "The Prayer", was released on January 29. This single had been located on their MySpace since November 22, 2006. The next single, "I Still Remember", is their first American single. In the build up to the release of the album, Zane Lowe aired a live set from Maida Vale featuring a mix of old songs and new ones on his evening radio show on BBC Radio 1 on January 30, 2007. On February 1, 2007, A Weekend in the City was made available to listen to for free through the band's official MySpace page.
The band's first gig following the release of AWITC was on February 5 at Reading Hexagon. It was broadcasted live on BBC's Music Station 6 Music that night as well.
Bloc Party played in the Live Earth concerts on July 7, 2007 and T in the Park and the Oxegen Festival that same weekend, as well as Glastonbury and the Reading and Leeds Festivals 2007.
On 27th October, Bloc Party showed "Flux" to the world at their gig during the BBC Electric Proms, and on November 12th, they released the single. It charted well, reaching #8 in the UK charts, and was well received both by critics and fans, despite the new electronic direction.
On 7th July, Bloc Party premiered new track "Mercury" on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show following a countdown timer on Bloc Party's website. The track took a bold new direction, moving away from guitar rock, with an experimental electronic sound. The track charted at #16 in the UK charts when it was released as a single on the 11th of August.
On the 18th of August, in a webcam chat with fans, they announced that their third album, Intimacy, would be released for download on their website on the 21st of August. The album contained
On the 23rd and 24th of August, Bloc Party played second headliners before The Killers at Reading & Leeds Festivals, opening their set with "Mercury", and also playing "One Month Off" from their new album. They also played an entirely unplanned encore of "She's Hearing Voices".
The album Intimacy was released in physical formats on October 27th, featuring additional tracks, such as current single "Talons".
In June 2009 it was announced that a new single, "One More Chance", would be released on 10 August 2009. The song did not appear on Intimacy and was produced by Jacknife Lee. It was played for the first time on BBC Radio 1 on 18 June. In an interview with Zane Lowe immediately following the premier playing of the song, Okereke said that he was in the studio but that he couldn't "tell you anything"
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 is on an indefinite timescale
On 31 October 2009 the band played their final gig of the Bloctober tour at Bournemouth International Centre, home town of drummer Matt Tong. This was recognised as the band's last gig before going on hiatus.
In a February 2010 interview with NME Magazine, Lissack answered direct questions about Bloc Party's future, saying:
"We're probably going to pick up again with Bloc Party later this year. I mean, we wrote a lot of new material on the last tour. What does it sound like? It's hard to say. It's still just sketches of songs. The feel will come together in the studio. We're definitely not splitting up, there's a lot more creative life left in it yet."
On 11 July 2012, the band released "Octopus", the first single from their upcoming fourth album "Four". The album was released on 20 August 2012.
During the summer tour of 2013, drummer Matt Tong left the band. Lissack told a Canadian newspaper, the National Post that the band were planning to take an indefinite hiatus following their appearance at the Latitude Festival on 19 July.
In September 2014, Okereke stated that Bloc Party were working on a fifth album. In March 2015, bassist Gordon Moakes tweeted he had parted ways with Bloc Party. Bloc Party unveiled their new line-up at two intimate gigs in the Los Angeles area (19 August 2015 at The Glass House in Pomona and 20 August 2015 at The Roxy in Los Angeles). Following these performances, Bloc Party also subheadlined FYF Fest in Los Angeles on 22 August 2015. At these shows, the band confirmed that they've finished recording their next album. The shows marked the live debut for new bassist Justin Harris of the Portland, Oregon, indie rock outfit Menomena, who had previously opened several Bloc Party U.S. tour dates in April 2009; and drummer Louise Bartle, who was accidentally announced a month earlier as Bloc Party's drummer by instrument manufacturer Natal Drums.
In a performance at Maida Vale, Bloc Party gave "The Good News" its live debut; hours later, "The Love Within" was featured as "Hottest Record in the World" by Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1. Okereke revealed the band's upcoming fifth album is set to be titled Hymns. The album's release was later confirmed on social media as 29 January 2016.
Atonement
Bloc Party Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It will be hard but it can be done
My kisses will put out
The forest fire I started
I will not let, I will not let
You get further from me
You must fight for me
To be wanted
So, it was a funny feeling
We only ever notice
We only ever notice
When it seems like all is lost
You know it meant nothing to you
Remember the good times
Remember me sleeping by your side
Remember the feeling
That you were safe in my arms
I still see sons in you
My sons of sons in your eyes
This love's not over
This love's not over
Oh, it was a funny feeling
To be wanted
So, it was a funny feeling
We only ever notice
We only ever notice
When it seems like all is lost
You know it meant nothing to you
And we can make a raft from all the dead trees
And set sail for better times
To a time when this love was not poisoned
I was kind and I was kind
(Atonement)
Oh, it was a funny feeling
To be wanted
(This is my atonement)
So, it was a funny feeling
(This is my atonement)
We only ever notice
We only ever notice
When it seems like all is lost
(This is my atonement)
You know it meant nothing to you
(This is my atonement)
It will be hard, my love
It will be hard but it can be done
Bloc Party's song Atonement is a compelling love song that seems to be inspired by the idea of forgiveness and redemption. The lyrics describe a lover who has caused a forest fire, but promises to put it out with their kisses. The singer then goes on to urge their partner to stay close to them and fight for their love. They also reminisce about the good times they shared and express their desire to create new memories. The song is about the ups and downs of love and how sometimes, we only appreciate what we had after it's gone. It is an emotional song that is both hopeful and realistic.
The chorus, "It was a funny feeling to be wanted, We only ever notice when it seems like all is lost, You know it meant nothing to you," beautifully captures the essence of the message in the song. Sometimes, we take our loved ones for granted and only realize their worth when they are gone. The song's final lines, "It will be hard, my love, it will be hard but it can be done," provide a note of encouragement, showing that even though love can be difficult, it is worth fighting for.
Line by Line Meaning
It will be hard, my love
The obstacles in front of us may be difficult to overcome, but I am willing to face them with you.
It will be hard but it can be done
Although it may seem impossible, our love is worth fighting for and we can overcome any challenge if we work together.
My kisses will put out
I hope my affection will extinguish any pain or hurt I may have caused you in the past.
The forest fire I started
I acknowledge that I have caused harm in our relationship, but I want to work towards fixing it.
I will not let, I will not let
I vow to hold onto our love and not let it slip away.
You get further from me
I don't want to lose you and will do everything in my power to keep us close.
You must fight for me
I need to see that you are willing to put in effort too and not give up on us.
Oh, it was a funny feeling
Experiencing the feeling of being desired was something new and unfamiliar to me.
To be wanted
Someone actively seeking a relationship or companionship with me was not something I was used to.
We only ever notice
We tend to reflect on what we have when it is lost or almost lost.
When it seems like all is lost
When we feel like our relationship is about to end, we finally take note of its value.
You know it meant nothing to you
At times, it may have felt like our love was one-sided or insignificant to you.
Remember the good times
I want us to recall the happy memories and positive aspects of our relationship in order to refocus on our love for each other.
Remember me sleeping by your side
I want to remind you of the intimate moments we shared, such as sleeping side by side, to reaffirm our connection.
Remember the feeling
I hope you also remember the strong emotions attached to those memories, and how much we meant to each other.
That you were safe in my arms
I want to reassure you that I will always provide comfort and safety for you, both physically and emotionally.
I still see sons in you
I can still see your potential and all of your best qualities, even when things are difficult.
My sons of sons in your eyes
I see my own strengths reflected back at me when I look into your eyes, and that gives me hope for our future.
This love's not over
Our love still has many possibilities, and I believe that we can overcome our issues and stay together.
And we can make a raft from all the dead trees
Even though it may seem like all is lost, we can use what was destroyed to start anew and build something even stronger.
And set sail for better times
We can move on from our past and set sail towards a brighter future together.
To a time when this love was not poisoned
There was a time when our love was pure and untainted, and we can return to that state if we work to heal our relationship.
I was kind and I was kind
I want to remind you that I am still the same person you fell in love with, and my kindness towards you and our relationship remains the same.
(Atonement)
This song is my way of expressing my remorse and asking for forgiveness for any harm I may have caused in our relationship.
This is my atonement
I want to make things right and atone for my mistakes in order to move forward in a positive way with you.
Contributed by Molly S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ccole742
One of my favorite songs of all times
ccole742
@Mark Bates wait… what?! I still love BP I’ll have to find the new project ✨
Mark Bates
Still a favourite? Bloc Party have finally confirmed that they are going to release Another Weekend In The City in a different format
komora 10.0000
ccole742 I agree
wobble Di wob wob
Bloc party are musical geniuses the old full line up nothing can compare
Hasnizam Mohamed
One of their best songs!
lrvdnc
Breaks my heart...every time.
mattaki
I can't believe this got left off the album. The drummer must have been pissed off.
b wads
been a fan of bloc party since silent alarm how have i only just found this?!?!
Raph Prospere
Evan Alas he didn't say he was the been biggest fan. Atonement ;)