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2009

Bloc Party's Kele Okereke jokes about Oasis split at Leeds Festival

Frontman makes quip during Main Stage slot

Bloc Party's Kele Okereke made a joke about Noel Gallagher leaving Oasis during their Main Stage slot at Leeds Festival this evening.

The band were playing second from top of the bill on the stage, before Radiohead's scheduled headline slot, when the singer/guitarist mentioned Gallagher's decision to leave the Manchester band.

"How are we dealing with the news?" he said before 'Mercury', just past the set's halfway mark. "One of the great British institutions is no more. The final series of 'Big Brother'. Did you think I meant Oasis? Just kidding."

Earlier in the set he had made a plea to the crowd to get involved in their show despite the huge popularity of the headliners, up next. "I like the Radioheads as much as anyone," he said, "but for the next hour you're watching Bloc Party, so come on."

Later on 'Song For Clay (Disappear Here)' segued into 'Banquet', during which the frontman yelled, "Come on you fuckers, dance!"

Next they played recent stand-alone single 'One More Chance' which, as Okereke told the crowd, was the first live airing of the song in the UK. "It's a song for dancing to," he said after saying "Leeds, jeez...", seemingly a touch frustrated with the crowd.

"This is the first time we've done Leeds before Reading. Usually we are a bit tired before playing Leeds, but we're firing on all cylinders," he said later, getting more into the mood.

"There are two more songs to play before the big 'R'," Okereke said before ending the set with 'Flux' and 'Helicopter'. "Make them count." The statement seemed to perk up the crowd, who sang along loudly to the closing numbers.

Bloc Party played:

'One Month Off'
'Hunting For Witches'
'Positive Tension'
'Signs'
'Song For Clay (Disappear Here)'
'Banquet'
'One More Chance'
'Mercury'
'So Here We Are'
'The Prayer'
'Flux'
'Helicopter'


NME.COM will be coming live from both the Reading And Leeds Festivals sites this weekend (August 28-30). Stay tuned to NME.COM/festivals for news reports, blogs, video interviews and photos from the event.

Get next Wednesday's (September 2) issue of NME for the ultimate Reading And Leeds Festivals review.

Plus have your say on this summer - fill in the annual NME Festival survey now to cast your verdict on 2009, and tell festival chiefs who you want to see next year.


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Comments (8)

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kbrady16 

Aug 30, 2009

haha oh man, it's hilarious cause everyone cares...j/k you're bloc party and no one cares, what you say, who you are, or what you play...be 1/8 the band Oasis was and maybe someone will care or remember you for being that guy who wasn't in the fine young cannibals.

adamadamnme 

Aug 30, 2009

bloc party are an amazing band. but i must say they r a grumpy bunch. maybe they r harsh critics but they really need to start enjoying playing live.

underclasshero 

Aug 31, 2009

grumpy? they quite clearly do enjoy playing live, have you even been to a bloc party show mate? quiet fool.

stairway2notion 

Aug 31, 2009

All joking aside, it is a terrible terrible shame. I will kinda miss Big Brother.

kehoe_lufc 

Sep 1, 2009

Ive seen bloc party several times and they always seem to be moody, kele needs to cheer up!!! Hes always complaining about somethin, they really weren't up to par with the rest of the bands playin at leeds that day

Leave Off 

Sep 1, 2009

Kele really needs some fish to go with that massive chip on his shoulder. All he ever seems to do is whine and moan about other people. Maybe when he grows up he'll learn something called respect. Maybe he'll also see that Bloc Party haven't released a good record since Silent Alarm and that he really should start writing good songs again instead of moaning about other people's.

thom-morrissey 

Sep 1, 2009

Bloc Party are one of my favourite bands ever, they are vastly underrated, and I can't understand why a lot of people seem to despise them so much, 'Intimacy' was one of the best albums of 2008, the same could be said for 'A Weekend In The City' in 2007, and 'Silent Alarm' is one of the best of the century so far.I saw Bloc Party at Leeds and thought they were absolutely magnificent, and I didn't think they were moody at all, I thought Kele was witty, charming and magnificently charismatic, and when he said 'Leeds, jeez...' the tone he took wasn't one of frustration, to me he seemed to be joking about with the crowd. The crowd were excellent as well, all this talk of lack of enthusiasm from us watching types at this gig is wrong, it was fucking mental down there, even for the supposedly less well-known songs off Intimacy.

horlicks123 

Sep 2, 2009

Sell some records before you mouth off you gob shite, the difference is it was Noel's decision to quit but it won't be long before bloc party are dropped for awful record sales and Kele will have to and work for daddy. Default is the only way they will ever headline a major festival. Probably time to make up another racist attack from John Lydon to try and grab a few collumn inches you loser.

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Pic: Richard Johnson

Pic: Richard Johnson

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