Are Bloc Party “rinsing” ‘Silent Alarm’? Former bassist Gordon Moakes responds

Former Bloc Party bassist Gordon Moakes has responded to claims that the band are “rinsing” their debut album ‘Silent Alarm’.

The musician, who announced his departure from the group in 2015, is credited as a co-writer of the seminal 2005 record, and also provided backing vocals and synthesister.

• READ MORE: Bloc Party on ‘Alpha Games’: “We’re not the same band now. The chemistry is different”

During an episode of the 22 Grand Pod last year, ex-drummer Matt Tong explained why he “quit mid-tour”. Frontman Kele Okereke had previously cited “deep-seated issues” that had led to the pair leaving.

Now, in a newly-shared clip of “bonus content” from his own 22 Grand Pod chat, Moakes was asked to share his thoughts on how Bloc Party seemed to be “rinsing” ‘Silent Alarm’. This comes as the band continue to celebrate the LP by performing it in full on tour.

“I mean, look,” the bassist responded. “The positive for me is that I still earn [money] off the songwriting for that record. So if the band are playing that record, and people are listening to it and buying it or streaming it, then that’s good for me.”

Moakes added: “In terms of whether they’re doing it justice, I couldn’t say.” Watch the clip here:

Elsewhere in the conversation, he revealed that there was a period where he “went out of [his] way to avoid” Bloc Party’s music after he quit. “But I think now… time has been has been quite kind to [‘Silent Alarm’],” he said.

“It still sounds pretty good, right? I’m happy to have had a role in that, some ownership of it, because I haven’t been in the band for a long time. I don’t really know much about the band at the moment.

“But I know what we were at that point, and I know that was a special time that created a special record, and I’m proud of that.” Watch the video below.

Moakes and Tong were replaced in the band line-up by Justin Harris and Louise Bartle, respectively. Co-founding member Russell Lissack is still a part of the group alongside Okereke.

Last summer, Bloc Party performed ‘Silent Alarm’ in full at a huge show in London’s Crystal Palace Park – marking their biggest headline performance to date.

When announcing the special concert, Okereke explained: “We’ve been having so much fun playing shows over the past year, so it makes sense to do something special for old and new fans, celebrating 20 years of Bloc Party.

“We heard from a lot of people that they couldn’t get tickets for the [2018/2019] ‘Silent Alarm’ gigs, so a one-off summer party playing that and the bangers feels like the right thing to do.”

However, Bloc Party are continuing the celebrations into 2025. They are scheduled to perform ‘Silent Alarm’ in its entirety when they headline Live At Leeds: In The Park next month, and will play the same set at gigs in Manchester, Bristol, Brighton and Torquay this summer.

Additionally, Okereke and co. are showcasing the debut album on a 2025 North American tour with Metric. The latter band will be playing their 2009 record ‘Fantasies’ in full at these dates.

Produced by Paul Epworth, ‘Silent Alarm’ features the singles ‘Banquet’, ‘Helicopter’, ‘So Here We Are’ and ‘Positive Tension’. The record peaked at Number Three on the UK albums chart.

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NME gave the LP a glowing 9/10 review, describing it as “the unpigeonholeable soundtrack to 21st-century life as a cast-off”.

Speaking to NME in 2023, Okereke explained: “I’m completely thankful that [‘Silent Alarm’] connected with people; but it’s at that point when I hear any record that we’ve made, I hear the things I’d do differently if I had the opportunity to do it again.”

The frontman had previously told NME that Bloc Party were “not the same band” anymore: “There might be aspects of this sound that are familiar, but the band chemistry is different, and to be honest we’re more excited about that, because seeing what Justin and Louise can do as musicians – seeing it every day when we were in the recording studio and writing these songs – I was just blown away all the time by what they were capable of.”

He added: “Obviously we have a history and a legacy but I’m more excited about the energy that the band has right now, because it’s not something we could have done in the past.

“With no disrespect to our previous members, I feel that the musicianship is in a place that it never was before. I’m excited that we’ve only really scratched the surface of what we’re capable of.”

Bloc Party released their sixth and most recent full-length effort, ‘Alpha Games’, in 2022. This January, Okereke teased a new album from the band that is “very personal and confessional”, and “about the study of a fleeting relationship from start to finish”.

At the start of this year, Gordon Moakes launched a new band called The None – who would later release an EP, ‘Care’. They headed out on a UK headline tour in support of the project too.

Moakes is also a member of Young Legionnaire, whose second and most recent album was 2016’s ‘Zero Worship’.

Speaking on the 22 Grand Pod episode, Matt Tong claimed that “Kele was an insurmountable obstacle” in Bloc Party. He responded to the frontman’s past claim that Moakes and Tong’s exits were “about someone doing cocaine and someone not being into it”.

When presented with this quote while on the podcast, Tong said it was “frustrating”, adding: “It had nothing to do with me and Gordon.”

Meanwhile, Bloc Party are releasing their classic EP ‘Little Thoughts’ on vinyl for the first time for Record Store Day 2025. The title track previously appeared on select versions and re-releases of ‘Silent Alarm’.

In 2023, the band announced that ‘Little Thoughts’ and “every song missing” from their catalogue would be added to streaming services. The EP and tracks were then made available on digital platforms in early 2024.

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