Russell Lissack – "I do as much with my feet as I do with my hands!"

Bloc Party's lead guitarist Russell Lissack has two of the most complex pedalboards ever amassed. So how many pedals did he have when making the band's new album? "Probably a hundred," he laughs...

- By Jenna Scaramanga

In 2019, Bloc Party returned to their roots with a tour where they performed their platinum-selling debut album Silent Alarm in full. Buzzing from that tour, they started writing their sixth I album. We wanted to capture the energy and the chemistry that the four of us were forming from playing live again, says lead guitarist Russell Lissack. They finished their initial writing period in March 2020, so you know what happened next...

Unlike other bands, however, recording remotely and sharing files online was not an option for Bloc Party. As Russell puts it: Touring Silent Alarm was quite instrumental in the writing process. We wanted that same energy when we were in the room bouncing ideas off each other. I think I don't think it would have been the same if we tried to do that remotely.

When Russell breaks down the band's process, it's obvious it couldn't happen any other way. And as he explains, everything begins with an idea from the band's leader, guitarist/vocalist Kele Okereke. Kele might come in with a chord sequence or a general idea, Russell says. I'll be more sprinkling things on top of that to add character to it, rather than coming in with specific sections. Kele tends to prefer everyone reacting in the moment to something. He'll either have an idea or even a suggestion: 'Let's try something like this,' and seeing where it goes. When you come in with something that's quite formed already then it's harder to deviate from it, because you're quite used to something that already exists. When you do it all together it feels less cemented. There's more room to experiment, to change things.”