Kele Okereke on Hymns, dealing with criticism & the new phase of Bloc Party.

The return of Bloc Party in 2015 saw much of the band’s fandom and indeed, the industry, draw a sharp breath. With the departure of founding members Matt Tong and Gordon Moakes leaving a sizeable gap in the band’s line up, Bloc Party have continued to move forward, with the addition of Louise Bartle and Justin Harris and the creation of a new album in the to-be-released Hymns.

The band’s frontman and songwriter Kele Okereke sat down with us before they hit the stage at the Mt. Duneed Falls Festival to chat about the band’s Australian return and how he’s been handling all the changes within the band and their public perception, now this new music is nearing release.

“It’s been fun playing with Louise and Justin,” he says. “It’s been fun playing the new material, that was something I was really adamant about us doing, before we started – because we are a new band now, it’s really got to be about looking forward. I think it will be easier once the album is actually out and people have a chance to listen to it and sit with it and digest it. …Ultimately we’ve made a record we’re really proud of and we just want to share it with people.”

Watch the full interview below!

Bloc Party play the Enmore Theatre on January 7th, before performing a special Hymns album preview show at the Oxford Art Factory on January 8th. They then head east to play Southbound this weekend. Visit www.blocparty.com for more info on Hymns!

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