Three years since their last effort, Bloc Party is back in the studio working on a new album. But their frontman, Kele Okereke, couldn't tell you how it's coming. He's too busy wondering whether he's been fired.
Okereke told NME he hopes he "hasn't been fired" after catching his band together without him in New York:
I was actually having lunch about three weeks ago, just here on 8th Avenue and I saw somebody walk past and I recognised the haircut. It was Russell. I was like, 'Hey!' but he didn't see me and I followed him around the corner and then I saw Matt, Gordon and Russell all standing outside this rehearsal space. They all went inside.
Perhaps the band hasn't gotten over Okereke leaving them to pursue his solo career. He released his first album, Boxer, under the name Kele in June of 2010, to generally positive reviews. Or maybe Okereke just missed a phone call and blew things out of proportion. Regardless what's really happening backstage, the chances of Bloc Party firing their frontman are pretty slim.
Bloc Party isn't the only group experiencing band drama of late. My Chemical Romance fired their drummer in early September for stealing from the band. INXS fired their singer J.D. Fortune for the second time earlier this week. Though, considering Fortune got his gig through reality show "Rock Star: INXS," this one was no surprise.
As for Okereke, if there wasn't band drama to begin with, there will be now.
Let's revisit the days when Bloc Party was young, hopeful and together: