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Bloc Party react to Oasis split

Page last updated at 11:18 BST, Tuesday, 1 September 2009

By Greg Cochrane Newsbeat music reporter

Bloc Party have revealed they had to tell fans that Oasis wouldn't be coming on after them in Paris last Friday. The band split just before they were due to play at the Rock en Seine concert. Bloc Party front man Kele and drummer Matt said they didn't know while they were on stage how serious it was.

Kele from Bloc Party Kele from Bloc Party belts out a tune at this year's Reading Festival

I understand you had to break the news to the crowd in Paris that Oasis had split up the day before you played the Leeds Festival? Is that right?

Kele: We were playing our set and my tour manager came up to me and said that Oasis had cancelled and we had to play for longer. And I was like, 'Oh. OK', and we told the audience.

We didn't know that they'd split up. We were just told that they'd cancelled. We were told afterwards.

The Mercury Music Awards are the week after next. What's that occasion like?

Kele: It's a laugh. It's a laugh, isn't it?

Matt: I think Gordon (Bloc Party bass player) summed it up on the night when he drunkenly dropped the nomination trophy we received on the floor and broke a bit off. I think that perfectly summed up the whole event.

They do nominate a handful of quality acts but it's an awards ceremony and unfortunately experience has told us to take awards ceremonies with a slight pinch of salt. The Oscars, that's different, isn't it?

Everyone wants to make a tearful Oscar acceptance speech. Maybe we'll get to do that if we write a soundtrack for a film with some upcoming director.

Matt and Kele from Bloc Party Matt (left) says October's UK tour will take them to some different places

Have you ever thought about that? If somebody came in and offered to do a soundtrack, would you consider it?

Kele: It would depend on what we had on. It would be a lot of work, recording a soundtrack. It's definitely an idea that would be interesting, being led by visuals and then creating the music afterwards.

That's something we've never done. That could be exciting. But right now it's enough writing our own songs. We don't really have that much time.

October's a big month for you guys, heading out on one of your most extensive UK tours. Have you got anything special in store or are you trying to reach the places you haven't been for a while?

Matt: We're going to Lincoln for the first time, and Inverness and I think Dunfermline as well.

It should be quite interesting because just when you think you're getting a bit too jaded and cynical to be touring the same places over and over again, a few nuggets are thrown in there. We're playing Truro and Llandudno as well.

We actually haven't done a month-long UK tour for nearly three years now, so it'll be interesting to see the lay of the land, so to speak.

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