Bloc Party Vinyl Records
East London art punkers Bloc Party mixed angular sonics with pop structures and helped shape the sound of British indie rock throughout the 2000s. Tense post-punk rhythms and dissonant guitar hooks took their cues from Gang of Four and Joy Division on the band's 2005 debut Silent Alarm. Aspiring musicians Russell Lissack and Kele Okereke met through mutual friends at the Reading Festival, and discovered that they had musical tastes as well as friends in common. They began working on music together, eventually forming a band with Okereke on guitar and vocals, Lissack playing second guitar, Matt Tong joining on as drummer and bassist/vocalist Gordon Moakes completing the band.