63336 LIVE celebrity answers – Kele Okereke

63336's first live celebrity answer session with Kele from Bloc Party was held on Friday June 6th.

We had a great response from fans and 63336 customers alike, with brilliant answers from Kele.

We've captured the best elements of the chat below – where you'll find some tit bits about the next album as well as which cheese Kele prefers!

If you'd like to ask 63336 a question, and we really can answer any question, why not try us out for free?

Friday 6th June. 11.58am.

63336 And here's... Kele. Thanks very much for being our first live celebrity answerer!

Kele: Hi, I'm really glad to be here and looking forward to answering all your questions. I'll try and answer as many as I can.

dave cookson: hey Kele, I was at the Manchester leg of the Marshals tour a couple of years ago when you played "A Momentary Loss of Control", does this now go by another name or was it never recorded?

Kele: A Momentary Loss of Control was recorded as Version 2.0. It was an in joke for us as it has gone through so many names and different guises. That's how we work, nothing is finished until it is recorded.

sambriggs: Will the old Union songs ever see the light of day?

Kele: No, I don't think so, I was toying with the idea of re recording a version of Life of the Party, I'm not sure if people have heard it but it was a favourite of mine.

neville: How is the new album going? Are you still writing and recording, or you have finished that phase?

Kele: We are in the middle of writing and recording and it's going well. It's quite hard to see what the outcome will be as we are still in the process. It doesn't sound like anything we've done before and I'm really excited about it. I'm hoping that you guys will hear something soon but, realistically we're probably looking at next year.

anopportunity: who will produce the new album?

Kele: Errr, I'm not sure I'm at liberty to say at this pont. let's just say an old friend.

Luke: So do you think there'll be new songs to debut at Leeds and Reading (don't know if you're playing any other festivals...)?

Kele: Maybe one or two but it's a festival, main stage, so people will want the hits. Let's see what happens.

mattyd88: Can we expect to hear more vocals from Gordon or even Matt in the next album?

Kele: Ha. It's kind of hard. The way we write, I don't sing the vocals until we're in the studio. So it tends to be my voice until we play it live and then matt and Gordon sing backing vocals. I'd love to hear them sing more as they both have great voices.

milesz: are you sick of playing some of your hits live (n.b. we aren't sick of hearing them)?

Kele: No, because we only have 2 albums so the songs from the first are still fresh for us. They still recieve such a great reaction and people enjoy them so we don't get sick of it. Maybe in 10 years time.

Rene: Hiya, How are you today? You travelled a lot with BP. Is there anywhere you see yourself living?

Kele: I'm great thanks. Thats one of my favourite things about this job. I love travelling and seeing other cultures. I don't really enjoy living in the UK so love seeing other places. I love Sydney, Berlin and Toronto and can see myself moving there, eventually.

disgustedoftunbridgewells: Referring back to Kele's schooldays. With the great John Lyall & Trevor Brooking having attended Ilford & the colours being claret & white – does he support any football teams?

Kele: I'm not a football fan. I was born in Liverpool so would support them if I had to make a choice. I much prefer playing sport, than watching.

tom_3: Hi Kele, do crowds still pelt the band with chocloate during Helicopter?

Kele: No, that stopped on the last tour. I have a sweet tooth and loved it but now we get stuffed animals instead.

anopportunity: would you like to be pelted with chocolate during helicopter?

Kele: So long as you don't aim at my face, that would be nice.

Nat: What musicians do you currently admire?

Kele: Graham Coxon is great. His guitar work is really impressive and he's gifted.

tom: Kele, i don't know if you remember, but at the Astoria gig in 2007, you said happy birthday to me infront of the whole crowd – it pretty much made my year.

Kele: I do remember and I'm pleased that it made you feel special. Birthdays are special days and I'm glad we could have been part of it.

himynameislph: What is the weirdest gift you have ever gotten from a fan?

Kele: The weirdest gift was voodoo dolls of other band members, with pins in them. We were in japan at the time.

epo: What are you listening to at the moment?

Kele: I'm really into bassline garage stuff at the moment, post 2 step garage stuff, that was popular at the start of the year. Growing up in Essex, every club I went to played garage so this is nostalgia for me. It's light and fun.

Katie 86#: which is the best gig you've ever played?

Kele: That's hard but my favourite recently was the Roundhouse. The venue was great but I was losing my voice and up until soundcheck, I wasn't sure if I could perform but it came together and was really emotional.

sambriggs: How did the idea for perfoming with a choir at the Roundhouse come about? After being so well received, is there a possibility of more "collaborations"?

Kele: I've always been a fan of music and have always been fascinated by choirs. Many voices together are impressive and the human voice is so emotive, more than instruments. I thought it would suit the songs because we have some many quasi choral elements to our music and it felt natural to do that.

Dave – Portsmouth: You are playing a few festivals over the summer. Are you going to go to any as a mere fan? Who would you like to see live on the festival circuit?

Kele: I'm not going to any this summer as a fan. I made a vow after Glastonbury 2003 never to do it again. I've been 3 times, it was always muddy.

himynameislph: I assume you have a bit of downtime when on tour, so what do you like to do when you have time to do stuff?

Kele: I like to walk around the different places. I try to get a feel for the city I'm in and get some time alone. It's hard to do that when you're on tour, being on the bus with everyone else.

mattyd88: I know you don't want to disclose too much about the next album, but can you tell us whether there will be a strong theme like there was in 'A Weekend in the City'?

Kele: It's hard because the theme for 'A Weekend in the City' got picked up on more than we intended. I've tried to write instinctively for the new album and not rationalise too much but, in my personal life, I've been going through some big issues so this has had an effect on it. It will be quite thematically linked but that wasn't my intention. I was trying to represent where I am right now.

63336 Here's a question from blocparty.net – when are you next on tour?

Kele: We'll be touring the States from July and we've got Reading and Leeds. After that, we'll see.

tom: Do you ever read any of the bloc party forums –.net or.com?

Kele: We used to read them, as a band, in the early days. As we got better known, it took on a life of its own, so I don't read any more. I don't think it's healthy, as an artist, to know what your fans think because, ultimately, you have to try and keep the writing process pure and not worry.

Gavin/Russell: i've skipped college to be here today, what is the worst thing you've skipped and to be where?

Kele: I was always too much of a fraidy cat to skip lessons at school. The one thing I remember was we were supposed to be flying to Glasgow to start the tour and the Pixies were playing Brixton Academy so we went to that instead and caught the train the next morning. It took forever but was worth it.

canary_don: Hi Kele. Why are you called Bloc Party?

Kele: Jesus, not this question again! The bass player came up with it. It wasn't the name we liked the most, but it was the name we all didn't hate the least.

tom_3: Who is a better DJ, you or Russell?

Kele: Ha. Russell is technically better – he was a trance music head before we got signed so he has more experience but I have it on good authority that I play more fun music.

Sammy: Kele, I saw you wearing an ed banger t–shirt at the london gig on the 15th, are you into the french electro club scene?

Kele: Yes, musically, some of it is very exciting. There's a guy called Sebastian, one of my favourite producers ever, who makes very 21st century hip hop extreme sounds. It's so modern and I'm obsessed by it.

dave cookson: if you're in a club and a bloc party song starts to play how do you normally react?

Kele: I used to leave the dance floor but now it's funny. It depends how sober I am.

milesz: if i ask you very very nicely – will you come to cape town?

Kele: I'd love to come to South Africa. If we get lots of emails asking us to do it, it might be possible. I'd love to visit either way.

tom: My friend tamii says hello, she is in a physics revision class, luckily i have no gcses today, how did your gcses go?

Kele: I can't really remember but I got lots of As and, interestingly enough, my only B was in Physics.

dolly mixture: how long, in your opinion, is a piece of string?

Kele: Twice the end from the middle. And always too short to wrap a present. It's always long enough to tangle though.

tom: what is your favourite beverage?

Kele: I guess my favourite beverage is water. As a singer I need to drink at least 3 litres a day. It's lame but it has to be done.

Rene: Do you get recognized a lot these days?

Kele: Yeah, I do but I don't mind because everyone is generally polite. It's nice to know you matter to people.

Dave – Portsmouth: If you were a boxer what would your entrance music be?

Kele: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper.

sambriggs: Will you marry me?

Kele: I'm very touched by your proposal but the union of marriage is not something to be taken lightly. As I don't know you, I must sadly decline!

matt: how do you manage to keep writing original songs without relying on formulas as so many bands do these days?

Kele: I think that comes from the fact that I'm not really influenced, or impressed by music of my contempories. The music that I am inspired by tends not to be traditional rock music. I am constantly hearing new, exciting music, it's just not what I'm directly related to. I think that's a good thing.

milesz: Now for the big one – favourite cheese?

Kele: Jahlsberg.

Hiroshima: Will you ever let us have the Cells Shaped Like Stars demo?

Kele: I'm not sure that there even is a demo of that. When we demo'd it, it was called Into the Blue and then the final version was called We Were Lovers.

himynameislph: Since Matt is so tall does he hold things above the rest of your heads so you can't reach them?

Kele: I'm actually almost as tall as Matt so when he tries I'll just reach up and take it.

tom: what are you going to do after this 'interview'?

Kele: I'm off now to meet a friend for lunch at 12.30. It's been a pleasure answering all your questions and I'm sorry if there were some I couldn't get round to. See you at Reading!

Here's a few more that we asked Kele before the live web chat:

63336: Can you tell us a little more about Bloc Party's next album (what will it be like, when you think it's coming out)?

Kele: We are just in the middle of it and unlike previous stuff that has focused on external events, this album is more introverted looking at how people relate to one another and more personal issues.

63336: Which of your songs means the most to you?

Kele: All of the songs mean a lot to me as they were all born from an idea/time in my life. However the one I am really proud of at the moment is one of our new songs called Ion Square.

63336: Have you heard any mashups of your work, such as Tim G's Bloc Of Nails, which mixes Helicopter with a Nine Inch Nails song? Did you like it or any others you may have heard?

Kele: I like the mix of the Ting Ting's called "that's not my flux" and have played it a few times when I have been dj'ing. Her voice sounds euphoric. I think that once a song is in the public domain it is not wholly owned by us anymore. It's good for songs to reach as many people as possible.

63336: What, or who, would you describe as the main influences on your music now?

Kele: As our sound is neurotic, wiry, phonetic and doesn't stay in one place we don't have one influence. In 2001 I was influenced by bands such as the Strokes and this year I have been influenced by Garage MC's to House and it constantly evolves.

63336: What do you like about Fender guitars and if you had to pick one would it be the strat or telecaster?

Kele: I'm not into guitar brands, I just chose them on the sound and seeing what works for the song.

63336: What music are you listening to right now?

Kele: I am a member of a CD club where we make mix tapes of songs we like for the group. As a result am listening a lot to The Shirelles.

63336: What's your current best album?

Kele: Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid. I'm not a massive fan of theirs. I've not been looking at guitar rock music for the past few years but the singer's voice is so pure and affecting. Such an amazing lyricist.

63336: How do you think music will evolve over the next 10 years?

Kele: I think music will always be motivated by passion so the sound will always be exciting.

63336: Should music be free?

Kele: No because musicians need to make a living and people can't survive on thin air.

63336: When you DJ, do you have one track that will always get everyone jumping?

Kele: "Smack My Bitch Up" by The Prodigy will always get the crowds going.

63336: What sort of rider do Bloc Party have?

Kele: Lots of fresh fruit, I'm addicted to fresh fruit in the rider. We tend not to get that much anymore, we're quite frugal.

63336: What question have you asked 63336?

Kele: Yesterday they helped me find out the name of the band Katie White was in before The Ting Tings. (63336: Katie White's first band was Technical Knock Out, or TKO. Her second and last band before the Ting Tings was Dear Eskiimo).

63336: Will Bloc Party ever stop?

Kele: Yeah there will be a time when Bloc Party cease to make music but that's not for a long time, don't worry. You need to make space for other stuff in your life, though I enjoy it now there's other things I'd like to do with my life.

63336: Where do you see yourself in 2011 on your 30th birthday?

Kele: Not sure, I'm not a great planner but have just bought my first house so that's a start!