Since barging their way onto the UK scene in 2004, Bloc Party have wasted no time building a reputation as one of the most original and innovative indie bands around.

Vocalist Kele Okereke and guitarist Russell Lissack began playing together in 1999 and worked through various names and bandmates before joining with Gordon Moakes (bass) and Matt Tong (drums) to form Bloc Party. Before the year was out, Okereke had made sure Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos and Radio notable Steve Lamacq had heard She’s Hearing Voices, the band’s debut single.

In 2004 the London-based four-piece released two EPs – Bloc Party and Little Thoughts – that drew rave reviews from the British music press and started to generate a buzz outside the British Isles. By the time debut album Silent Alarm came out in early 2005, Bloc Party were one of the most hyped bands on the planet. And from the string of singles taken from the album, the band had no trouble living up to expectations. Banquet, Helicopter, So Here We Are/Positive Tension and The Pioneers all charted in the UK, while Banquet hit number 34 in the US. A remix version of Silent Alarm followed later in the year, featuring contributions from Mogwai, M83, Ladytron and Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Nick Zinner.

A Weekend in the City, their second full-length album was released in February through Wichita Recordings. Produced by Jacknife Lee (U2, Razorlight) and recorded at Grouse Lodge Studios in Ireland the band’s newest collection of songs is a stunning, intense and brilliant follow-up. Dealing with Okereke’s interest in what he calls “the living noise of a metropolis,” the album captures every detail, from ebullient to the mundane, of daily life in a modern city, and the quiet desolation that suffuses everything from commuting to casual sex, from going out on a Friday night to the long ride home in the early hours of the morning.