THE Guitar INTERVIEW KELE OKEREKE

Back in January 2020, Kele Okereke had big plans. Bloc Party were about to go into the studio to record their sixth album and he was due to start work on his second musical. When those ambitions were grounded by the pandemic, the 39-year-old Londoner all of sudden found himself a locked-down stay-at-home father to two children, with little time for music. Yet two things were about to happen that would reignite Okereke’s passion for the electric guitar: he began embarking on midnight walks alone around the deserted streets of the capital, and his guitar tech built him a new two-amp recording setup that helped him unlock the creative potential of looping.

Before long, Okereke was deploying the new rig and his ever-present Telecasters on Instagram, entertaining the Zoom-quiz-fatigued masses by performing solo takes on Bloc Party songs and covers. He was also returning from those moonlit excursions with a brain fizzing with ideas. After 20 years as the rhythm man, overshadowed by Bloc Party’s more flamboyant sonic architect Russell Lissack, and with a solo career that’s frequently sidelined his primary instrument, it was time to step into the spotlight. The Waves Pt. 1, a meditative collection fashioned from cycling loops and interweaving arpeggios, is Kele Okereke’s first true guitar album.