Bloc Party cite SMiths influence...

[Bluebirds]

Dunno if this has been posted but an interview with the singer from Bloc Party where he goes on about The Smiths. Interestingly it appears he got into them recently.

"One of the things I was most disappointed about with Silent Alarm was I was hiding behind abstraction,' Okereke concedes. 'Then I really got into the Smiths. The lyrics were amazing, so focused. There's no worse sin as an artist than hiding behind cliches and abstraction. If you have something to say, it should be able to be understood by everyone. So I wanted to make sure this album had a real centre."
And a line from their new LP 'England is mine, I'll take what I want'
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,,1982746,00.html
Quite an interesting bloke actually

 

[lilybett]

Good. Good, good! I like Bloc Party, I like Kele Okereke and I'm looking forward to their new album.

Good!

 

[lilybett]

They're shockingly poor. My fart sounds more dynamic then Bloc Party.

Yawn. Well, they were influenced in their shocking poorness by The Smiths. Good.

 

[lilybett]

Yawn to you aswell.

Good.

 

[bikubesong]

I bought Silent Alarm, and it was a disappointment. Couldnt find ONE reason to listen to the album again, so I .. gave it away. Sure they're influenced by the Smiths, who dare say they aint?

 

[Christine]

I remeber readind an interview with Kele where he was talking about the V festival and he said he wasnt sure about artists who used to be big coming back. I think he thought Moz hadnt released any material since the Smiths

 

[Kickstand]

Kele seems to think he is some sort of Jimi Hendrix, which is highly amusing as his guitar playing ability isn't even a patch on John Squire or the late Dimebag and them two are hardly a patch on Hendrix (dispite the fact that all guitarists mentioned have different styles).

His comments are both foolish and inaccurate, but there is no evidence to suggest he was mentioning Morrissey in that category. I'd imagine there was more old timers at V fest than Morrissey? As most newer bands prefer Reading and Leeds.

If Kele did say this and I wouldn't be surprised if he did, he is wrong, Morrissey has never been "big" by that I mean big like Nirvana, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Queen, The Beatles who received more than their fair share of commericialism. Morrissey has always been on a some what loy key record company, with not much lavish commericialism. He also realised an album in 2004, so Kele and his fellow bands mates can't be that influeneced by The Smiths.

 

[lilybett]

Aw but I like Kele. He seems to have a reputation for being a misery-guts, which is always a quality I admire in a person. He is also well buff! No, but really. He's beautiful.

 

[sulkyyouth]

Kele can say what he wants -he's damn good-looking.

 

[Poco Innocente]

Silent Alarm kicks YOUR arse (or something like that). The latest album isn't bad (nor great). Hunting for Witches is greatttt, and The Prayer are great.

Feck you and your sister et cetera