Matt Tong - Bloc Party (Interview 2024)

Matt is on the podcast as we delve into how he went from Bournemouth to Bloc Party, why he was reluctant to join the band and why he eventually chose to leave.
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22 Grand Pod LIVE with Jamie Reynolds and Conor McNicholas: shorturl.at/kSWgW
22 Grand Pod is on Patreon: / 22grandpod
Off the back of the main pod, we are creating Patreon only bonus content. For £3 a month you will get:
The 00's Deep Dive: Taking a look back at the likes of the Stalking Pete Doherty documentary and going through them in painful detail. As well as going through NME Awards from back in the day and discussing what happened.
My Favourite 00's Album: Inviting patrons and other guests to come on the podcast to talk about their favourite bands, albums or moments from back in the day.
Legend or Landfill: We go through NME's top 10 albums of each year and see if we think they are indeed Legendary or for the Landfill.
Fans Stories: Talking to people about their memories and opinions on all things 00's.
Unsigned Stories: Chatting with bands that didn't quite 'make it' in terms of signing that elusive record deal.
Patrons will also get early access to any main pod episodes
Also check the KZbin channel for extended video versions of the interviews and much more: bit.ly/3Ts7Wu1

[@STEOKEO]

The sheer quality of the debut albums we got in the early to mid 2000's......Turn on the Bright Lights, Silent Alarm, Whatever People Say I Am Thats What Im Not, Youth and Young Manhood . Is This It. Up The Bracket.

[@TKbeatwerk]

Finally some love for Turn on the bright lights!

[@JerryCorn9709]

​@@TKbeatwerk wdym finally? Lol, I can't think of a single person who has listened to bright lights and hasn't praised it. Silent Alarm and Turn on the bright lights were the highlight of the 2000's in my mind

[@TKbeatwerk]

@@JerryCorn9709 I don’t really many people talking about it, it’s an amazing record

[@JerryCorn9709]

​@@TKbeatwerkguess it depends idk, if someone knows interpol then it's like a 90% chance they like them (mainly bright lights)

[@JerryCorn9709]

​@@TKbeatwerkbut yea man u right, amazing record

[@JerryCorn9709]

You HAVE to interview gordon

[@chrishidden9221]

This man is far too modest! He was the driving force of that band at that time and a good high percentage of the reason Silent Alarm is the record it is down to him. Creativity, pace, power, dynamics he had it all. He wrote memorable riffs with his drums and only a handful of drummers in all genres have ever achieved that consistently.

[@PaulyBhoyI888]

What a drummer this man is, bloc party haven't been the same since he left.

[@denisuntoro]

he is another level

[@garethaskins5529]

Thanks for uploading this, thoroughly enjoyed the interview. It was interesting to get Matt's side of the story, and it's nice he doesn't seem bitter about it. Even if it is a shame that him and Kele haven't spoke since.

[@22grandpod]

no worries, glad you enjoyed it. can i ask how you came across it out of interest? Thanks.

[@22grandpod]

Just seen its been leaked on reddit lol. Very 00s tbf

[@garethaskins5529]

@22grandpod yeah came across it on reddit. Just assumed you were the one that had posted it on there but I guess not! Thanks anyway, really enjoyed the interview.

[@domhall9304]

Matt did an album with producer Alex Newport , the band was called Red Love, it’s on Spotify , the album it’s absolutely amazing!!

[@Unfunny_Username_389]

I just listened to it - thanks for the rec. It blows my mind that it was self-released and no label picked it up. What the fuck is wrong with alternative music and independent labels, etc. etc. We should know about Red Love. How many other worthwhile bands are slipping through the cracks. Anyway, I just posted a review on RYM.

[@crackfox1874]

Russell and Matt also released a song called The Kraken which is epic!

[@BLOCPARTY420]

Such interesting talk about bloc party behind the scenes! I understand how he was dealing with a lot including how he was involved with bloc popularity. It’s great to hear his side of why he left the group

[@dannybowden5296]

Matt once said to me "thanks for smashing my town up!" (I'm from Leeds) after my band supported them at The Cockpit, seemingly not realising I was 8 when it happened and having never been to Bournemouth at that point in my life. That said, Matt is a thoroughly decent, intelligent, well spoken young man, and a great musician to boot. Thank you both for a very insightful, jovial interview; ace indeed!

[@Kitty_Kankles]

Fantastic interview, I love Matt Tong, I hope he’s taking it easy and understands that those early days of Bloc (2005-2014) would’ve been sorely lacking without him I remember in late 2015, (back when I first discovered Bloc) Matt Tong posted on twitter about flying to my hometown and eating some Cornish Pasties there (it’s a very, very small town and he mentioned he wasn’t expecting to find british food in that town, of all places) I was very surprised to see that he even knew that town existed, let alone visit!! it’s an obscure thing to talk about, but that post always resonated with me haha

[@jeffoliver7491]

If Matt and Gordon got together, employed a singer and a guitarist, called themselves 'Bloc Party', and the four of them then went on tour under the band's name, they would be just as much the Bloc Party band as Kele and Russell doing it with the two newbies they have recruited. It would be interesting to have two Bloc Party's on tour, each with two original members, both would be Bloc Party to the same degree as the other.

[@eduardorosas3991]

Fantastic interview, thank you for the insights, really need to get Gordon and Kele interviewed

[@user-vd9yr3hl8p]

What a great interview! And I got to follow it up with an equally awesome interview with Russell! My memories of Bloc Party (speaking as a failed rock musician in early 2000's NZ) is them being part of an amazing wave of guitar music that appeared out of nowhere at the start of the 20'th century including Interpol, The Strokes, Kings of Leon and The Arctic Monkeys. As someone who had been into alternative and grunge in the 80's/90's and witnessed their death at the hand of the 'Corporate Rock' industry, it was super exciting to see it almost happen again! But then, as Matt says, Corporate Rock won in the end - but good music will never die, as really it was never about the money in the first place, it's mostly about not having to spend your life making some rich asshole even richer, and thanks to KZbin I can discover wild Japanese shit like Maximum the Hormone at my leisure! Still, If Matt and Russell ever release something I'm all in - the guitar and drums was always what made Bloc Party so interesting.

[@ChisChisChis]

Russell and Matt did do a small collab on Russell's "Algorhythms" EP a couple years ago. Called "The Kraken", it's on Spotify:)

[@jeffreylebowski2440]

Down to earth level headed guy tells it like it is. Actually very interesting interview not that much dead air I was listening while gaming. Matts drumming caught my attention when I was a teenager I am 27 now and I still remember him. I always wondred why he left and what is he doing now.

[@Ahjussi42]

What an amazing interview, a lot of insight from one of my favorite drummers

[@Unfunny_Username_389]

Great interview. I didn't know much about Matt Tong at all.

[@blackstars14]

Matt is so down to earth. I met him randomly in New York years ago and he was so polite and humble while I tried my best not to fan boy! He is my favourite drummer from the 00s indie bands. It's crazy to hear him talk down his technicality which goes to show when it comes to music technique can only take you so far.

[@MarcusMIDI]

This interview is truly truly inspiring and needed right now! Thanks to you both. Cracking stuff as always 🙂

[@dannybowden5296]

I believe I'm right in saying the Led Zeppelin reunion in 2007 was the start of the modern day ticket pricing. I recall how before then 40 or 50 quid was about as much as you'd have to pay for a top act, with most tickets being about half of that. After that date, it seemed that the industry realised they could charge more and people would still attend, maybe not the same people who would normally have attended but, they weren't concerned with that as long as they were selling. Similarly with football, what was once a very working class pursuit as a fan/supporter, is very much now an expensive endeavour, especially for those who follow their teams home and away. Take my team, Leeds United, for example. In order to buy tickets, you first have to be a registered member. Last season I paid £75 for the top tier membership, with no guarantee that would get me any tickets. There is a waiting list of 20,000 for season tickets, which is the only way to guarantee you get a seat.

[@eternalshake7297]

What a legend

[@weedavid4924]

Fair play m8... Lol bro you're the one asking questions

[@STEOKEO]

A shame they all fell out with each other. They were a really good band. Seen them in Dublin in July and it was so nostalgic. Proper party vibe.

[@seanwright1890]

Oh man what a treat this interview was 👏

[@Unfunny_Username_389]

1:01:10 - yep, it can soon deteriorate into an absolute grind

[@izusblur]

an integral part of bloc party!

[@Lukegrayart]

Fairplay

[@Dale.ismyname]

Great band

[@speak1986]

He looks like the Doctor from Jam with long hair and a moustache.

[@DarnallDubois]

Good interview. Not even a fan of Bloc Party, never was at school really (don't dislike em just never really listened). Dunno how or why this popped up but fine

[@TheMusicalElitist]

What an odd comment to make...

[@clivemathieu9386]

Woke

[@Frank2000-q3d]

bot

[@odinisawanker8065]

Fart

[@TheMusicalElitist]

What's wrong with that?