Fuse Q&A: Kele Okereke on the Rise, Fall and Rise of Bloc Party

FUSE TV - Fuse Q&A: Kele Okereke on the Rise, Fall and Rise of Bloc Party

It's been four years since frenetic London rock quartet Bloc Party released their last album Intimacy, and since then, the group has endured near-constant rumors—not all of which were unfounded—of infighting, acrimony and break-ups. In 2009, the band decided to take a year off and regroup a year later to determine if Bloc Party had a future. Thankfully for fans, there's a happy ending (for now), as the group's appropriately titled fourth album Four is arriving on August 21.

For frontman Kele Okereke, though, the break didn't mean a stop to his creativity. In 2010, he released his debut solo album The Boxer, continued working on his novella and just "talked to people in bars and overheard conversations" during his year-long escape to New York City. Right before taking the stage at BBK Live Festival in Bilbao, Spain, the singer reveals to Fuse just how close the band came to breaking up, why he lies in interviews (current one excluded!) and how it feels to be back.

So is “Welcome back” the right phrase for the band?

Kele: Well, it’s a little bit strange for me because the others in the band are saying how weird it feels to be back on stage. Our drummer hasn’t played for like two years. For me, it just feels like a continuation since I was touring in 2010 and 2011.

Was the band ever officially broken up or was it more of an extended hiatus?

Kele: No, we never officially broken up but we hadn’t really left on the best of terms. We knew that we were going to have to get together in a year’s time from announcing the break to discuss what we were going to do. I think until us meeting, we had no idea if there was going to be a future. It was either going to go one of two ways.

But last year, you told NME that you followed guitarist Russell Lissack in New York and saw the rest of the band outside a rehearsal space, where they were playing without you. Was that legitimate beef? Band misunderstanding? A misquote?

Kele: No, that was completely not true. I have a bit of a habit that if I’m not engaged in interviews, I just start making stuff up. We weren’t allowed to talk about what we were doing because we really didn’t know if anything was going to come out of this, so I just spun this story and it ended up being like this huge trending thing on Twitter and everyone was freaking out that they were making an album without me. I just thought, to be honest, it was funny and if anyone had actually read what I said, it was so obviously ridiculous; the hiding behind corners spying on them. But if people wanted to believe that, that’s fine. I had a perverse laugh about it.

So how close did it really get to being over?

Kele: In 2010, I didn’t even want to think about music. I didn’t know if I wanted to be in a band. I thought the only way it would be possible is if we became a different band and our personal relationships and our music turned into something else. I didn’t want to go back to how it was.

In a post announcing the new album, you said that "in the past we have tried to hide the passion with which we perform, tried to obscure it, manipulate it so it didn’t resemble us anymore." What’s different now?

Kele: I think there’s a sense of perspective having had time away from the group. We had a chance to have lives outside of the band. One of the big problems we had in 2009 was we’d go from touring around for a year to going in the studio to making another record to going back out to tour another year. It felt like we were on a conveyor belt. There’s only so many times you can do that without a certain amount of friction starting to arise. How do you diffuse that?

You've said, "I wanted to watch the world from a distance… but then 2011 happened." What specifically were you referencing or was it the general tone and sentiment of what was going on in the world?

Kele: Yeah, I think it was more the fact that when I was living in New York, I was quite isolated; I wasn’t really watching much television or feeling aligned. I’d go three or four days without even speaking to people; I was just working on a book. I wasn’t really keeping track of global events, but whenever I did turn on the television, it felt like something awful was happening somewhere, and I guess that started to fit in with how I was viewing the world. And I started to question what it was I was doing and my purpose. I started seeking out music rather than avoid it, and it became clear that these ideas and songs are going to have to find an outlet and form of expression.

The Rise of K-Pop

41m

The Rise of K-Pop

Rise of the Hot Girl

20m

Rise of the Hot Girl

LIVE on FUSE: Combate Global

30s

LIVE on FUSE: Combate Global

Fuse's Excellent Adventure

Fuse's Excellent Adventure

Party of Five

44m

Party of Five

A Quinceanera Dress That Last Beyond the Party

41m

A Quinceanera Dress That Last Beyond the Party

Curvy Girls - Season 1 Fuse+ Trailer

55s

Curvy Girls - Season 1 Fuse+ Trailer

Fuse's Wildest New Series The Hollywood Puppet Shitshow: Sneak Peak

1m

Fuse's Wildest New Series The Hollywood Puppet Shitshow: Sneak Peak

Everybody Loves A Party

20m

Everybody Loves A Party

Don Q

20m

Don Q

Young M.A On The Struggle of Giving Up Meat

9m

Young M.A On The Struggle of Giving Up Meat

The King and Queen of  Bounce

21m

The King and Queen of Bounce

King Keraun Falls Into a Sunken Place While in the Woods

2m

King Keraun Falls Into a Sunken Place While in the Woods

This Season On Clash of The Corps

1m

This Season On Clash of The Corps

The Unfortunate Mishap of A Sneakerhead

2m

The Unfortunate Mishap of A Sneakerhead

The Legend of Baron To'a

1h 39m

The Legend of Baron To'a

Fuse+ is the Home for Big Freedia Means Business, Sex Sells, Made From Scratch & More!

30s

Fuse+ is the Home for Big Freedia Means Business, Sex Sells, Made From Scratch & More!

Is Nya A Baller On The Low?

51s

Is Nya A Baller On The Low?

What To Expect On Clash of the Corps

1m

What To Expect On Clash of the Corps

The Legend of Baron To'a - Trailer

1m

The Legend of Baron To'a - Trailer

Bolkow Castle Party

21m

Bolkow Castle Party

The DCI Struggles of Starting A New Summer

46s

The DCI Struggles of Starting A New Summer

The Fat Jewish Plays 2 Truths and a Lie

1m

The Fat Jewish Plays 2 Truths and a Lie

The River and the Wall

1h 45m

The River and the Wall

Party Planners: G-Thing

1m

Party Planners: G-Thing

Viewing Party: G-Thing

2m

Viewing Party: G-Thing

Beyoncé and A$AP Rocky Bring Back The Satin Jacket

5m

Beyoncé and A$AP Rocky Bring Back The Satin Jacket

End of the Line: The Women of Standing Rock

1h 27m

End of the Line: The Women of Standing Rock

Flesh and the City

45m

Flesh and the City

Beauty and the Bleach

56m

Beauty and the Bleach

G Fella Gives A Tour of The Bronx's Arthur Avenue

5m

G Fella Gives A Tour of The Bronx's Arthur Avenue

Bougie On A Budget

2m

Bougie On A Budget

Battle on the Catwalk

45m

Battle on the Catwalk

Eye On The Prize

44m

Eye On The Prize

Fire On The Floor

22m

Fire On The Floor

Freaky On The Floor

22m

Freaky On The Floor

Eyes On The Prize

22m

Eyes On The Prize

Clash of the Corps Drummers Step Up and Show Out in Rhythm

1m

Clash of the Corps Drummers Step Up and Show Out in Rhythm

The Best of The Best Clash

2m

The Best of The Best Clash

Free The Robots Reveals Where He Found One of His Rarest Records

1m

Free The Robots Reveals Where He Found One of His Rarest Records

Eye of The Beholder

20m

Eye of The Beholder

A Pound of Flesh

23m

A Pound of Flesh

The Power of Weed

41m

The Power of Weed

War of the Wills

44m

War of the Wills

Clash of the Corps

Clash of the Corps

Revenge Of The Nerfs

19m

Revenge Of The Nerfs

Art of The Azz

20m

Art of The Azz

All the Focus is on the Diamonds

21m

All the Focus is on the Diamonds

Beauty and the Bleach - Trailer

30s

Beauty and the Bleach - Trailer

Leave the Duckies and Go

21m

Leave the Duckies and Go

Young M.A. and Ayo and Teo - Long Cut

20m

Young M.A. and Ayo and Teo - Long Cut

Reebok Classic Leather 30th Anniversary Party

1m

Reebok Classic Leather 30th Anniversary Party

Lil Jon and Nude DM's on Tour

3m

Lil Jon and Nude DM's on Tour

A Day In the Life of Wilmer Valderrama's Puppet Ep. 2: Optimism

1m

A Day In the Life of Wilmer Valderrama's Puppet Ep. 2: Optimism

If Clash of the Corps Stars Could Role-Play For A Day

1m

If Clash of the Corps Stars Could Role-Play For A Day

DOMINO: Battle of the Bones

1h 49m

DOMINO: Battle of the Bones

Clash of The Corps - Trailer

1m

Clash of The Corps - Trailer

Return of the Ewing 33

5m

Return of the Ewing 33

Attack Of The Tethered Strippers

8m

Attack Of The Tethered Strippers

The MisEducation of Bindu

1h 33m

The MisEducation of Bindu

Do's and Don'ts of Online Dating

1m

Do's and Don'ts of Online Dating

Young M.A Plays 2 Truths and A Lie

1m

Young M.A Plays 2 Truths and A Lie

The Hilarious Reality of the American Rat Race

2m

The Hilarious Reality of the American Rat Race

Elle and Tito: The Married Life

Elle and Tito: The Married Life

A$AP Ferg and Rick Ross

20m

A$AP Ferg and Rick Ross

T-Pain and Young M.A

20m

T-Pain and Young M.A

The Fat Jewish and King Bach

20m

The Fat Jewish and King Bach

Anthony Ramos On 'The Good & The Bad' (Extended Cut)

12m

Anthony Ramos On 'The Good & The Bad' (Extended Cut)

Bougie on a Budget Music Video

2m

Bougie on a Budget Music Video

A Day In the Life of Wilmer Valderrama's Puppet Ep. 1: Hollow Man

1m

A Day In the Life of Wilmer Valderrama's Puppet Ep. 1: Hollow Man

A Day In the Life of Wilmer Valderrama's Puppet Ep. 3: Inner Thoughts

1m

A Day In the Life of Wilmer Valderrama's Puppet Ep. 3: Inner Thoughts

Behind the Scenes: The Making of "Made From Scratch"

2m

Behind the Scenes: The Making of "Made From Scratch"

The Making of Amber Rose's Puppet

3m

The Making of Amber Rose's Puppet

The Missy Elliott Hall of Fame

2m

The Missy Elliott Hall of Fame

Coming of Age as a Latina

20m

Coming of Age as a Latina

The MisEducation of Bindu - Trailer

2m

The MisEducation of Bindu - Trailer

Bob Marley: Roots of the Man

42m

Bob Marley: Roots of the Man

Love In The Time Of Pandademic

20m

Love In The Time Of Pandademic

Lebron James: King of the Court

41m

Lebron James: King of the Court

Plenty Of Fish In The Street

20m

Plenty Of Fish In The Street

The Women of Standing Rock - Trailer

2m

The Women of Standing Rock - Trailer

Amy Winehouse: The Price of Fame

1h 1m

Amy Winehouse: The Price of Fame

Will Smith: The Prince of Hollywood

41m

Will Smith: The Prince of Hollywood

Sam and Mattie Make a Zombie Movie

1h 42m

Sam and Mattie Make a Zombie Movie

The Cadets and Their Spankin New Toys

43s

The Cadets and Their Spankin New Toys

Krewella Plays 2 Truths and a Lie

1m

Krewella Plays 2 Truths and a Lie

The Read With Kid Fury and Crissle

The Read With Kid Fury and Crissle

T-Pain's School of Business: Artiphon- The All In One Musical Device | Season 1 Look Back |

1m

T-Pain's School of Business: Artiphon- The All In One Musical Device | Season 1 Look Back |

Cody Spells Out Love On The Field

1m

Cody Spells Out Love On The Field

The Clash of the Corps Cast Plays Would You Rather?

3m

The Clash of the Corps Cast Plays Would You Rather?

The Ladies of 'Transcendent' Share Beauty Tips

2m

The Ladies of 'Transcendent' Share Beauty Tips

Big Bear 2: The Wrath of Tito

23m

Big Bear 2: The Wrath of Tito

History of the Reebok Pump Part 1

5m

History of the Reebok Pump Part 1

Nick Cannon Plays 2 Truths and A Lie

1m

Nick Cannon Plays 2 Truths and A Lie

Lilly Singh Plays 2 Truths and A Lie

55s

Lilly Singh Plays 2 Truths and A Lie

T-Pain Plays 2 Truths and A Lie

2m

T-Pain Plays 2 Truths and A Lie

Sofia Reyes Plays 2 Truths and a Lie

1m

Sofia Reyes Plays 2 Truths and a Lie

Lil Rel Howey: 2 Truths and a Lie

1m

Lil Rel Howey: 2 Truths and a Lie

King Bach Plays 2 Truths and a Lie

1m

King Bach Plays 2 Truths and a Lie

Meagan Good Plays 2 Truths and a Lie

1m

Meagan Good Plays 2 Truths and a Lie