The signs are all there. A few weeks ago saw Bloc Party drummer Matt Tong talking about the band taking a break in order to “gain a bit of perspective on life outside of the band.” And now comes news that lead singer Kele Okereke is working on a solo album. Bloc Party really could be no more.

As I’ve often recounted, Bloc Party have been a part of my life for the last six years, although my love for them has waned somewhat over the last couple as their style changed and mine pretty much stayed the same.
But I’d still …read more

My love for Bloc Party goes back to 2003 when I first head of them. I’m not as keen now since they’ve changed their style from alternative rock to dance rock (if there is such a thing) but they’re still one of the best bands in the country. Except they may not be a band anymore, as they’re taking an extended break and aren’t sure when, if ever, they’ll be back.

As far back as July, Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke intimated that the band would be taking a break after their current touring commitments. He stated that the future was …read more

In case you still haven’t heard, Oasis have split up. Well, Noel Gallagher has left the band, whether the rest of them continue on or not without him has yet to be decided. They final straw for Noel came when he and Liam fought before playing their headlining set at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris on Friday night.
Video has now surfaced of Bloc Party telling the crowd that Oasis had canceled. The YouTube clip shows Kele Okereke breaking the news to the crowd, and reveling in the fact their cancellation meant Bloc Party were effectively headlining.

Oasis and Bloc …read more

Bloc Party are one of those bands I got in to very early on in their career. I first heard them all the way back in 2003 and 2004 when early versions of She’s Hearing Voices and Banquet started doing the rounds on radio stations such as XFM. Then in early 2005, they released their brilliant debut album Silent Album and I was hooked.

Then came second album A Weekend In The City, which was still brilliant, and contained gems such as Hunting For Witches and The Prayer. However, Bloc Party then took a rapid departure from what we knew them …read more

Wow, totally out of the blue, Bloc Party have announced their new album, Intimacy, is to be released this Thursday, August 21st. The news of a sudden shock release came from a webchat with fans on the official BlocParty.com website.
It was thought until today that the album wouldn’t be released until very late 2008 or even early 2009, but the band have seemingly brought it forward by months.
This follows similar strategies by Radiohead and The Raconteurs.
You can pre-order the album from the official site now. For £5, fans can get an mp3 bundle which will be delivered on August …read more

John Lydon of the Sex Pistols has allegedly been involved in a racial attack on Bloc Party front man Kele Okereke at the Summercase festival in Spain. Reports first emerged of a scuffle between Foals front man Yannis Philippakis, but the details have since been filled in by the lead singer of British indie rockers Bloc Party.
The incident apparently happened as Lydon socialised with a bunch of British acts backstage at the festival. Kele then claims to have approached Lydon to ask him if there was any chance of him reforming Public Image Ltd., one of his favourite bands.
Bloc Party …read more

Wow, this is huge. Bloc Party have revealed heir new single, and it is completely different than anything they have released before, and I’m not too sure whether I like the direction the band are going in.
It all started with a countdown timer on the official Bloc Party website, which suddenly appeared, and pointed towards something big happening on Monday.
The timer then expired, and in its place were instructions to listen to Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 show.
At 7.30pm, Zane played Mercury for the first time ever, and well, it doesn’t really sound like the Bloc Party I know and …read more

Some of the bloggers here on the b5 music channel decided to record our Soundtrack For A Day yesterday. This could take different forms, be it all the songs you listened to on that day, a selection from certain moments, or a particular album.
I decided to stick my media player on random and note down the first 50 songs it played, and here is the result.
As a full time blogger who works from home, music is very important to me as it can change the mood of my day. Pressing the random button is therefore a bit of a gamble …read more

Bloc Party are one of my favourite bands in the world, so whenever I hear they have a new single coming out, I get as excited as a kitten with a ball of wool, just not quite as cute looking.

This song, called Flux, is being released on November 12th and will be on the new digital download only re-release of current album A Weekend In The City.
The band did a similar thing with Two More Years on Silent Alarm, making fans go out and buy the newer, more complete version of the album. This can either be seen as …read more

I’ve been writing this blog for over 3 months now, and hopefully some of you are reading and enjoying Brit Music Scene. I’ve strived to bring you all the latest news, reviews, gossip and low-down on everything to do with the British Music Scene, and I think I’ve done a good job.
So in a further effort to educate my readers and bring some good music to your ears, here are 10 British music artists you should discover.
Now some of you will know all of the groups I talk about, especially if you happen to be in the UK, but …read more