Bloc Party: Tiny Desk Concert

Maia Stern | July 15, 2025
"Come on, Tiny D!" Kele Okereke excitedly yelps about a minute into Bloc Party's Tiny Desk concert. The English rock group's members were stoked to pay us a visit during their recent trip across the pond — and we were lucky to have them. They approached the Tiny Desk challenge with ease and delivered a carefully curated set with smiles and all.

This year marks two decades since the release of Bloc Party's enduring debut album. To celebrate, this Tiny Desk set begins with the super catchy and energetic pop anthem "Banquet" from Silent Alarm. The band continues with a couple songs from 2008's Intimacy: the shimmery, glockenspiel-forward "Signs," then "Mercury," where we give a sneak peek of Okereke's vocal effects rig under the Desk. Bloc Party closes with "Blue," a sweet song on the slower side of the band's catalog. It ends quietly, yet powerfully, as Okereke sings, "I fall asleep on your sleeve / with those three words in my dreams."

SET LIST
"Banquet"
"Signs"
"Mercury"
"Blue"

MUSICIANS
Kele Okereke: vocals, guitar
Russell Lissack: guitar
Harry Deacon: bass, keys, glockenspiel, background vocals
Louise Bartle: drums, background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Maia Stern
Director/Editor: Kara Frame
Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant
Audio Engineer: Josephine Nyounai
Production Assistant: Dora Levite
Photographer: Alanté Serene
Tiny Desk Team: Lars Gotrich, Ashley Pointer
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

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