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.
Rhododendrons
Bloc Party Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lying in a patch of rhododendrons
A bottle of whisky under my arm
Trying to count a sky full of stars
I dream of order, I dream of fleets
Of Napoleon in aquamarine
He said "Linus, put that blanket down
You've slammed your door too many times"
The world won't wait"
Oh, boy, what you gonna do with your life?
When I was your age, I was commanding fleets
When I was your age, I was soaked in victory
And now you can't keep a job and you can't keep a wife
What a horrible mess you're gonna make of your life
Watched way too many American films
To be John Wayne, Brando or James Dean
Waiting so long for your wrists to get thick
Waiting so long for the next great party
So many questions, so little to say
You don't need these weights
Boy, what you gonna do with your life?
Oh, boy, what you gonna do with your life?
So you want to be an artist, want to be a singer
Want to be remembered for what you could create
So you want to be a cowboy, riding to the distance
Never have to listen or answer to anyone
So you want to be a boxer, surviving on your instincts
Relying on your fists and the quickness of your wit
Are you bigger than these buildings and the grey around you?
Is your pain more worthy than everybody else?
Drunk again in the rhododendrons
The song "Rhododendrons" by Bloc Party depicts the struggles and pressures of trying to find one's place in the world. The singer finds himself laying in a patch of rhododendrons with a bottle of whisky, trying to make sense of it all. He dreams of order and fleetness but is constantly interrupted by the voice of Napoleon, who tells him to put his blanket down and get on with life. The singer is plagued with doubt, questioning whether he will make a mess of his life or become someone great, like John Wayne or James Dean.
The singer reflects on his past and how he used to command fleets and soak in victory, but now he can't keep a job or a wife. He wonders if he will ever find his place in life, and if he is meant to be an artist, singer, cowboy, boxer, or something else entirely. He grapples with the idea of whether his pain and struggles are more important or worthy than everyone else's. The repeated question of "Oh, boy, what you gonna do with your life?" emphasizes the constant pressure and uncertainty the singer feels regarding his future.
Line by Line Meaning
On the hottest night of the year
The singer sets the scene on a scorching evening
Lying in a patch of rhododendrons
The singer is lying in a group of bushes that are popular in gardens for their vibrant flowers
A bottle of whisky under my arm
The singer is holding an alcoholic beverage
Trying to count a sky full of stars
The artist is looking up at the sky, attempting to count the twinkling lights
I dream of order, I dream of fleets
The artist longs for structure and organization, imagining armies and ships in formation
Of Napoleon in aquamarine
The singer envisions the famed French Emperor, dressed in a bright blue color
He said 'Linus, put that blanket down
Someone with the name Linus is being instructed to stop holding onto something for comfort
You've slammed your door too many times'
This same someone has shown acts of frustration by shutting doors too forcefully
The world won't wait'
There's a sense of urgency to get things done because time is fleeting
Oh, boy, what you gonna do with your life?
This serves as a rhetorical question, asking what plans a young man has for his future
When I was your age, I was commanding fleets
Speaker reminisces about their youthful days, where they held positions of power over groups of war vehicles
When I was your age, I was soaked in victory
The artist had previously experienced many glorious wins when they were still around the same age as the intended person they're addressing
And now you can't keep a job and you can't keep a wife
The young man being addressed appears to struggle with the ability to maintain steady employment and a marital relationship
What a horrible mess you're gonna make of your life
The singer has a dim outlook and envisages a future filled with difficulty for the young man
Watched way too many American films
The young man being addressed has been captivated by the portrayal of American movies in which he may want to follow the different archetypes for himself
To be John Wayne, Brando or James Dean
The above-mentioned archetypes are exemplified through various media arts as 'tough guy', 'bad boy', or 'rebel' personas
Waiting so long for your wrists to get thick
A sense of idleness and procrastination is being highlighted, not having the motivation to achieve anything meaningful
Waiting so long for the next great party
The young man being addressed is someone who seeks out pleasure-seeking activities and is looking for a good time
So many questions, so little to say
The singer perceives the young man being addressed to have many thoughts but not enough substance to articulate them
You don't need these weights
The artist is encouraging the young man to let go of the emotional baggage that's weighing him down
So you want to be an artist, want to be a singer
The young man being addressed has ambitions to be creative, possibly in the realm of music
Want to be remembered for what you could create
The young man being addressed has a desire to have a lasting impact through his creative efforts
So you want to be a cowboy, riding to the distance
The young man being addressed aspires to be a loner on the frontier, possibly for the sake of adventure or independence
Never have to listen or answer to anyone
The said young man doesn't want to be obligated to anyone or have to take orders from someone else
So you want to be a boxer, surviving on your instincts
The young man being addressed has a fascination with combat sports, possibly for the express purpose of survival and steeliness
Relying on your fists and the quickness of your wit
The person engaged in combat must depend on their quick-thinking ability and brute force to defend themselves in this world
Are you bigger than these buildings and the grey around you?
The singer is challenging the young man being addressed to see if they possess the strength and resilience to overcome the obstacles around them
Is your pain more worthy than everybody else?
The artist is confronting the young man being addressed on the topic of pain, asking if he thinks his troubles are more significant than other people's and if any fruit will come out of it
Drunk again in the rhododendrons
The artist returns to the original scene of lying in the bushes, albeit this time appearing to be more intoxicated than before
Contributed by Benjamin R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gustavo Ladeira
On the hottest night of the year
Lying in a patch of Rhododendrons
A bottle of whiskey under my arm
Trying to count a sky full of stars
I dream of order I dream of fleets
Of Napoleon and Aquamarine
He said Linus put that blanket down
You've slammed your door too many times
He said Linus put that blanket down
The world won't wait
Boy, what're you gonna do with your life?
Boy, what're you gonna do with your life?
Boy, what're you gonna do with your life?
Boy, what're you gonna do with your life?
When I was your age i was commanding fleets
When I was your age i was soaked in victory
Now you can't keep a job and you can't keep a wife
What a horrible mess you're gonna make of your life
Watched way too many American films to be John Wayne, Brando or James Dean
Waiting so long for your wrist to get thick
Waiting so long for the next great party
So many questions, so little to say
You don't need these ways
Boy, what're you gonna do with your life?
Boy, what're you gonna do with your life?
Boy, what're you gonna do with your life?
Boy, what're you gonna do with your life?
So you want be an artist, want to be a singer
Want to be remembered for what you could create
So you want to be a cowboy, ride into the distance
Never have to listen or answer to anyone
So you want to be a boxer, surviving on your instincts
Relying on your fists and the quickness of your wits
Are you bigger than these buildings, and the grey around you?
Is your pain more worthy than everybody else?
Drunk again in the Rhododendrons
Drunk again in the Rhododendrons
Drunk again in the Rhododendrons
Drunk again in the Rhododendrons
Ian Guest
This is not an official album - in fact it's not an album at all - it's simply a collection of all the b sides and bonus tracks taken from material related to the album 'A Weekend in the City'. Wikipedia mentions all these songs if you check out the singles section of the discography related to 'AWitC'.
I bought my copy of 'AWitC' before the release of Flux so my homemade album features 13 tracks as listed below all purchased as 7" vinyl and CD singles but I've also included their bonus-track origins. My track listing simply follows the chronological release of the singles. Only 'Vision of Heaven' was not included as a b side.
1. We Were Lovers (Japanese edition) (4.09)* (CDS)
2. England (Japanese edition) (4.10)* (7" single)
3. Version 2.0 (Best Buy version) (3.19)* (7" single)
4. Selfish Son (Napster and Rhapsody) (4.56)** (CDS)
5. Cain Said To Abel (iTunes US) (3.23)** (7" single)
6. Atonement (iTunes US pre-order) (3.46)** (7" single)
7. Cavaliers and Roundheads (3.44)* (CDS)
8. Rhododendrons (eMusic US) (4.45)* (7" single)
9. Secrets (Canadian version & Target version) (4.04)* (7" single)
10. The Once And Future King (Canadian version & Target version) (3.18)** (7" single)
11. Emma Kate's Accident (Best Buy version) (5.34)** (CDS)
12. Vision of Heaven (PureVolume free download bonus track) (3.31)
13. Flux (3.38) *B side from 'The Prayer'
**B side from 'I Still Remember'
***B side from 'Hunting For Witches'
** B side from 'Flux'.
Personally I don't know what all the fuss is about, I also have an album called 'Two More Years' which includes all pre and contemporary 'Silent Alarm' material and another called 'One More Chance' which features non-album music from 2007-12 put together from contemporary hard-copy purchases and digital downloads.
Ally West
Does anyone else miss these guys?
Sammy Mccallow
Still.....seen them in 2005 at Manchester Uni.....Just before they went through the roof. Was mega.
Julien Treviño
Yes
William SIms
Fuck yes man. I mean fuck yes. So damn much lol I hear songs now that they would sound so much better with.
Christophe Albertin
Oh que oui cher ami!
init
Don't we all
Okay.
God damn. The nostalgia is hitting hard...
STAN NATS
Very hard....roll ups and beers late at night in the city thinking wtf...years later
Gustavo Ladeira
On the hottest night of the year
Lying in a patch of Rhododendrons
A bottle of whiskey under my arm
Trying to count a sky full of stars
I dream of order I dream of fleets
Of Napoleon and Aquamarine
He said Linus put that blanket down
You've slammed your door too many times
He said Linus put that blanket down
The world won't wait
Boy, what're you gonna do with your life?
Boy, what're you gonna do with your life?
Boy, what're you gonna do with your life?
Boy, what're you gonna do with your life?
When I was your age i was commanding fleets
When I was your age i was soaked in victory
Now you can't keep a job and you can't keep a wife
What a horrible mess you're gonna make of your life
Watched way too many American films to be John Wayne, Brando or James Dean
Waiting so long for your wrist to get thick
Waiting so long for the next great party
So many questions, so little to say
You don't need these ways
Boy, what're you gonna do with your life?
Boy, what're you gonna do with your life?
Boy, what're you gonna do with your life?
Boy, what're you gonna do with your life?
So you want be an artist, want to be a singer
Want to be remembered for what you could create
So you want to be a cowboy, ride into the distance
Never have to listen or answer to anyone
So you want to be a boxer, surviving on your instincts
Relying on your fists and the quickness of your wits
Are you bigger than these buildings, and the grey around you?
Is your pain more worthy than everybody else?
Drunk again in the Rhododendrons
Drunk again in the Rhododendrons
Drunk again in the Rhododendrons
Drunk again in the Rhododendrons
Lee Scott
I could add this comment to every BP song, they will forever be my favourite band of all time. I cannot see me ever loving anyone else anywhere near as much. Discovered aged 16 and 14 years later barely a day goes by I don't put a tune on here or cd or record I've a vast collection. Have 2 albums signed too : ) they've several songs to suit any mood too perfect !!