Bloc Party fans can celebrate the 20th anniversary of ‘Silent Alarm’ with a “deluxe” reissue of their era-defining debut album, being released on 26 September.
The box set, which is available to pre-order now, will comprise of four LPs. Two of the vinyl records will contain the original album, with the third including a collection of B-sides and rarities including ‘Little Thoughts’, ‘ Skeleton’, and ‘Storm and Stress’.
It is the fourth LP which may excite fans the most though, as it will comprise of the band’s legendary 2004 John Peel session for BBC Radio 1, as well as seven original demos from this era.
The deluxe box set is the main attraction, but they will also release a smaller two-LP variant of the album, a two-CD edition, and an Amazon Music Exclusive Vinyl Reissue.
This announcement comes as the iconic indie band are already well into the swing of celebrating their debut album. Last summer, they played their biggest headline show to date – performing in front of 25,000 people at London’s Crystal Palace Park – as they marked the 20th anniversary of ‘Silent Alarm’.
The era-defining band are gearing up to head on tour throughout the summer, as they have many UK festivals booked including Splendour Festival, Live At Leeds: In The Park, and Bristol’s Siren Festival, which mxdwn covered here. They will also head on a tour of North America throughout May and June.
Frontman Kele Okereke explained how great it has been for the band to celebrate their debut album, saying: “We’ve been having so much fun playing shows over the past year, so it makes sense to do something special for old and new fans, celebrating 20 years of Bloc Party.”
Speaking before their massive Crystal Palace Park gig last summer, Okereke said: “We heard from a lot of people that they couldn’t get tickets for the 2018/2019 ‘Silent Alarm’ gigs, so a one-off summer party playing that and the bangers feels like the right thing to do.”
‘Silent Alarm’ was a huge hit when it came out, a true pioneer of the 2000s indie sound that dominated Britain, along with the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Hard-Fi and The Libertines. NME gave it a glowing 9/10 review and the publication has since named it one of the best indie albums of all time, thanks heavily to its hit singles such as ‘Helicopter’ and ‘Banquet’.
Speaking in 2023 of the albums success, Okereke said: “I’m completely thankful that ‘Silent Alarm’ connected with people; but it’s at that point when I hear any record that we’ve made, I hear the things I’d do differently if I had the opportunity to do it again.”
The 20th anniversary reissue will be released on 26th September and all versions, including the huge 4-LP box set, are available to pre-order now here.
