Bloc Party to receive Outstanding Song Collection award at Ivors 2025

Bloc Party have been announced as the recipients of the Outstanding Song Collection award at the Ivors 2025.

• READ MORE: Bloc Party on ‘Alpha Games’: “We’re not the same band now. The chemistry is different”

The original four members of the indie band – Kele Okereke, Russell Lissack, Gordon Moakes and Matt Tong – will receive the honour at the 70th edition of the award ceremony.

It will be held at the Grosvenor House in London on May 22, and recognises the band for the legacy in songwriting they have established throughout their 25-year career.

The news comes as the current incarnation of the band are touring in celebration of their debut album ‘Silent Alarm’ turning 20 this year. Already, they have played the album in full at London’s Crystal Palace Park – marking their biggest headline performance to date – and are gearing up for shows in Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, Brighton and Torquay, as well as a North American tour.

The announcement from the Ivors highlights how Bloc Party carved out a distinctive voice  and have been both “fearless” and “ever-evolving” in their sound. As well as their 2005 breakthrough record, which fused indie, rock, electronica and house, the award also celebrates the five studio albums that followed. These, it said, showcase their “brilliance as songwriters and their rare ability to fuse introspective lyricism with a bold, dynamic sound”.

Frontman Kele Okereke shared: “To be recognised for songwriting is a very special thing for an artist, and receiving an Ivor Novello award for Outstanding Song Collection is a massive honour.”

“Even before you form a band, play a show or record a note, you’re writing songs – it’s at the core of being an artist,” he added. “It’s amazing to see people connecting with Bloc Party’s music, from those who’ve loved the band from the start, to more and more young people we’re seeing at our shows over the past few years; inspiring us to push forward as a group whilst also being privileged to look back at everything we have already achieved.”

Roberto Neri, CEO of The Ivors Academy, shared: “Bloc Party have made a lasting impact on British music through fearless and innovative songwriting and an unwavering artistic vision. With emotional depth and urgency, their songs continue to inspire fans and songwriters around the world. We’re proud to honour Kele, Russell, Gordon and Matt with the Outstanding Song Collection Ivor Novello Award, recognising their craft and the impact of their work.”

With the announcement, Bloc Party join an impressive list of artists to have received the Outstanding Song Collection award, including Queen, U2, New Order, Pulp, KT Tunstall and Noel Gallagher.

Last month, over 70 songwriters were listed as nominees for the 2025 edition of the Ivor Novellos, with Lola Young, RAYE, Ghetts and Charli XCX leading the way. Among those in the running for the prestigious Best Album award are Charli XCX with ‘Brat‘, BERWYN with ‘Who Am I’, and Ghetts with ‘On Purpose, With Purpose‘, Jordan Rakei with ‘The Loop’, and Lola Young with ‘This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway‘.

Up for Best Song Musically and Lyrically are Laura Marling and RAYE with their tracks ‘Child of Mine’ and ‘Genesis’, respectively. Fontaines D.C.’s ‘In the Modern World’, Lola Young’s ‘Messy’, and Orla Gartland‘s ‘Mine’ are also nominated – the latter being the artists’ first recognition by the Academy.

In March, it was announced that U2 will be the first Irish act to receive Fellowship Of The Ivors Academy – the highest honour the organisation bestows. It makes them the latest recipients of the award, following on from Bruce Springsteen, who was granted the award last year and became the first international songwriter to receive the honour.

The full list of winners will be announced when the ceremony is held at Grosvenor House in London on May 22.

As for Bloc Party, Okereke spoke to NME about the legacy of ‘Silent Alarm’ back in 2023, and said that he was “completely thankful that it connected with people”. He added: “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 band’s sixth and most recent full-length effort, ‘Alpha Games’, arrived in 2022, and since then the singer has teased a new album from Bloc Party – saying it is “very personal and confessional”, and “about the study of a fleeting relationship from start to finish”.

As well as playing shows to celebrate 20 years of ‘Silent Alarm’, Bloc Party have also announced that they will be reissuing the 2005 release as a deluxe box set for the occasion. Not everyone is supportive of album’s resurgence though, as last month former bassist Gordon Moakes suggested that they were “rinsing” the breakthrough LP.

“The positive for me is that I still earn [money] off the songwriting for that record. So if the band are playing that record, and people are listening to it and buying it or streaming it, then that’s good for me,” he said. “In terms of whether they’re doing it justice, I couldn’t say.”

Moakes joined the group in 2002 and remained a member until 2015, playing on their first four studio albums. Original drummer Matt Tong departed the band in 2013, and his departure is something Moakes said was a catalyst for his own decision to leave the band.

“When Matt left, I more or less knew that was me done, because I didn’t think the band was…I thought Matt was kind of like the heartbeat of the band, effectively,” the bassist said in an interview last month. “And I didn’t feel like there was a version of the band without Matt that I could probably do.”

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