That unrelenting, planet-swallowing hype-machine that is the UK street press tends to throw up a new “next big thing” every time you look sideways. However, Bloc Party are one of those rare acts that have actually lived up to the hype that accompanied them when they broke onto the international scene in 2005.
They’ve just released their third album in four years, and fan reaction has been a little mixed – Intimacy doesn’t sound much like the first two Bloc Party albums. With the band’s third Australian tour kicking off next week, FasterLouder spoke to bass player Gordon Moakes about touring, recording, and why he takes tea with him wherever he goes.
The release of Intimacy was different from a normal album release, in that the album was announced just a couple of weeks before it was unleashed. And Moakes says the reaction has been pretty good. “Yeah, we’ve been getting some really positive vibes. It came as a bit of a surprise to people, because we released it without warning, and that was unusual.
“There was a whole host of reasons why we did it. We always found it a bit annoying, that whole process of, ‘We’ve got a new album coming out – in just three months! Can you contain yourselves?’ We just thought we would concentrate on the record as we were making it, and nothing else. We don’t want to talk about what we’re doing – when it’s done, then we’ll decide what to do with it. But at the same time, we put the apparatus in place, because we knew that as soon as it was ready, we wanted to release it.”
Intimacy is the band’s third album since they started out in 2005. They’ve had a pretty regular touring schedule, including international tours, which makes their regular releases even more amazing. But according to Moakes, it’s not quite enough. “We always thought we wanted to do a record a year. So when we had a one year break between the first and second album, we were quite frustrated, because there was this huge period of time between it being finished and when it comes out.
“So we knew the game-plan with this album is to take some time off after finishing it. We wanted to speed up the whole process. I really kind of feel like this third record is closing the circle of this whole phase of Bloc Party. We’ve been doing it non-stop for so long; it’ll be good to have a break.”
The new album does sound quite different to their first two albums Silent Alarm and A Weekend In The City, and Moakes says that was a deliberate process. “I think we did take a conscious decision to attack some of it in a different way. We didn’t want to just pick up guitar and write songs on the spot, a lot of it was formulating in Kele’s [frontman Kele Okereke ] head, but he didn’t want to commit to anything. He was just holding on to a lot of it until it was ready to go. Then some of these songs were written straight onto a computer which is a different way of working, especially for us. Ultimately, though, the record is still the sound of us, there are just different ways of doing it. We can’t get away from our way.”
Bloc Party have become regulars on the international touring scene, but unfortunately, Australia isn’t his favourite place to visit. “It’s all the little things, about the smaller places, that you really remember. Like we went to Iceland last year, and I’d never been there, playing there turned out to be a riot. We did a gig in a high school, as well as a big festival. It’s a strange place; it looks like a moon when you get out of Reykjavik. It’s been such a privilege to travel. We got to go lots of places like Scandinavia, which I love, and South America, which we’re going to in a month or so.”
But there are still some places left that Moakes wants to get to. “I’d love to play in Thailand – I think it would be just nonsense to play in Bangkok. I’d also love to get to do more of Eastern Europe – Hungary, Czechoslovakia. We haven’t been any further east than Poland.”
Touring internationally can be a little emotionally draining, but Moakes makes sure he takes a little piece of home with him wherever he goes. “I’ll pack a bag of teabags – British teabags. Australia is pretty good; you can get decent tea there, but the United States? Forget about it. Plus, we’re all a bunch of nerds really, so we’ve always got our computers with us, and we’re looking for a place to plug them in wherever we go. We can use them to keep in touch with friends and family at home, so that makes it easier.”
And which does Moakes prefer to play, festivals or house shows? “To be honest, I kinda like our own gigs really. I took some time off in August, and when I came back we were playing little shows in the US and Canada, and I really loved it. But then, when summer comes around, you do go that urge to be outside and playing, so festivals have their place too. You’ve got to have a balance.”
So, what else is in the future for the Bloc Party – will they be looking to release another album next year? “This record’s just coming out now, and we’ll be touring it for a year or so. I’d be surprised if there’s anything new coming out next year. But then again, it happens all the time – we get inspired, we could put something out. Anything can happen.”
Bloc Party get intimate at the following shows around Australia this month.
Thu 20 – Festival Hall, Melbourne
Fri 21 – Festival Hall, Melbourne
Sun 23 – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide
Tues 25 – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
Wed 26 – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
Fri 28 – Riverstage, Brisbane
Sun 30 – Belvoir Amphitheatre, Perth
Ahead of the band’s sold-out shows in Sydney, Matt from Bloc Party is rolling up to MUM at Hermann’s Bar for an exclusive DJ set. If you’re keen to get up close and sweaty this Saturday 15 November, pick up a ticket right now on FasterLouder.
eggs
said ages ago