The British band performed songs from their 2005 debut, Silent Alarm, and 2008’s Intimacy during their debut on the live performance series
Bloc Party appeared on NPR Tiny Desk for the first time with a career-spanning set that goes back to the very beginning. The U.K. rock band’s Kele Okereke, Russell Lissack, Louise Bartle, and Harry Deacon kicked off the performance with “Banquet,” a selection from their 2005 debut album Silent Alarm, which celebrated its 20th anniversary earlier this year.
“Good afternoon, everyone. We’re Bloc Party from London, England,” Okereke told the gathered crowd. “We’re very excited to be here today with you for the infamous Tiny D sessions. Let’s get into it.” The band followed with “Signs,” a remnant of 2008’s Intimacy. And just in time for Mercury Retrograde to begin later this week, Bloc Party lingered in that album era for a performance of “Mercury.”
To close out the set, Bloc Party jumped ahead to one of their only recent releases, The High Life EP. The band selected “Blue” from the four-track project released in 2023. Since then, they’ve only shared the one-off single “Flirting Again” and a nostalgic set of B-sides from their 2007 album A Weekend in the City. They plan to release an anniversary edition of Silent Alarm in September. The band’s latest full-length LP, Alpha Games, arrived more than three years ago. Bloc Party are currently on the 20 Years of Bloc Party tour.
“Thank you very much. As I was saying earlier, it’s a really big deal for us, being here,” Okereke said. “NPR has introduced me to so much great music. I’ve done so many great interviews speaking with this system. People all over the world, not just in America, rely on what comes out of this building. So, let’s keep it protected and cherished.”
