Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke has opened up about the possibility of another Bloc Party album in the near future, saying the best way for the band to honour next year’s 10th anniversary of debut studio album Silent Alarm would be to “make more records”.
“To be honest, I’m not so interested in looking backwards,” said Okereke told Music Feeds, in response to whether the band had anything planned for the upcoming anniversary. “I think the most impressive thing that we could do as a band would be to respond [by] looking forward and keep on making music to say that we’re still motivated.”
“I think that’s more important than revival or some kind of nostalgic experience,” he added. “I feel that the band isn’t some record – at this point it’s a collection of records – and I feel that the best way to honour that would be to make more records, not just to look back to where we were.”
“I don’t think that sort of thing does much good for artists,” Okereke told us. “I always cringe a little bit when you hear about bands going around just touring on a kind of anniversary record. I feel that it just seems a little bit cynical.”
Whatever it takes to get Bloc Party back on stages and in the studio, it probably won’t happen for a good while. Bloc Party announced they were taking their second self-imposed hiatus after Latitude Festival in July 2014, but since then the band have been mostly quiet about their future plans.
Earlier this year Okereke, now on the cusp of releasing his second solo album Trick, told Nothing But Hope And Passion he had “no idea” what was going to happen to the band. “I’ve been speaking to Russell, he’s just had a baby so I think he’s going to be out of action for a while,” he said.
Bloc Party first went on hiatus in 2009 following the release of their third album Intimacy, citing interpersonal conflict. They returned in 2012 to release their latest studio album Four. Kele, who recently played at Western Australia’s Circo festival as well as East Coast side-shows, did not give a timeline for any possible Bloc Party return.
Kele will follow up his debut 2010 solo album The Boxer, with Trick when it is released in Australia on October 10th, just in time for Okereke’s 33rd birthday.
Stay tuned for the full Music Feeds interview with Kele, up soon.
Listen: Kele – Doubt
