Kele Okereke Relies On Himself For The Boxer

Sweaty people in shorts, pummeling each other silly until their mouths are full of blood isn't an image you'd think of when you picture a soft-spoken, gentle and — by many accounts — shy guy like Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke.

He slouches comfortably on the couch at Toronto's Rivoli, taking his time to answer his questions, seeming nothing like the hurried, rushed and violent image the title of his debut solo album, The Boxer, brings to mind. There's absolutely nothing Rocky Balboa-esque to him. "Calm, casual and enjoying his cranberry soda" are words that come to mind, not "sweaty, bruised and ready to pummel your brains out."

So why did Okereke, who really does seem like one of the most genuinely nice people in the rock world today, choose the title?

"It was because as a boxer, you have to rely on nobody else but yourself to achieve what it is you want to achieve," he says. "Even though you take hits, you have to keep focus on your priorities and keep going. I thought that was an inspiring image."

Okereke's face immediately scowls and you wonder if he's visualizing boxing in his head.

"It's got nothing to do with boxing," he then says. "I don't really like boxing. I don't really like watching people fight for sport. It's a bit gross."

Okereke began working on The Boxer during time off from touring with Bloc Party in 2009. While the rest of his bandmates opted (with the exception of guitarist Russell Lissack) to chill out and take some time off, he wanted to keep working, so he went into the studio and worked with producer XXXChange to put out The Boxer.

If you're expecting it to sound like a carbon copy of his band's three records, think again. Okereke's changed things by experimenting with electronic music.

This might be surprising to some, but Bloc Party have always worked electronic elements into their songs, and 2008's Intimacy was the biggest hint that Okereke or Bloc Party might release an almost entirely electronic album next. Now he's followed through, and says he sees The Boxer as "a crystalization" of all the things he's done so far with his career.

What he's really happy about, though, is that he did it himself. It's not that he didn't want his Bloc Party mates around; it just means it was a different experience he enjoyed.

"It felt very gratifying," Okereke says about making the record. "These were ideas that I've just had in the last year, just ideas in my head, just coming to life and there was no one else to thank for it. It was just me, and that was good. It was like, 'This is me, and I'm proud of it.'"

Okereke's touring in support of The Boxer this summer and you can see him here:

July 1 Leeds, England @ Cockpit
July 2 Oxford, England @ Academy 2
July 3 Southampton, England @ University Of Southampton
July 5 Norwich, England @ Waterfront
July 6 London, England @ Village Underground
July 8 Newcastle, England @ Digital
July 12 Bristol, England @ Thekla
July 13 Nottingham, England @ Ultra!
July 14 Birmingham, England @ O2 Academy Birmingham
July 16 Grafenhainichen, Germany @ Ferropolis (Melt! Festival)
July 23 Chicago, IL @ Metro
July 24 Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theatre
July 25 Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
July 27 Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot
July 29 Toronto, ON @ The Mod Club
July 30 Ottawa, ON @ Capital Music Hall
July 31 Montreal, QC @ Parc Jean-Drapeau (Osheaga Music And Arts Festival)
Aug. 2 Boston, MA @ Royale Nightclub
Aug. 3 New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Aug. 6 Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero Theatre
Aug. 7 Washington, DC @ 9:30
Aug. 27 Saint-Cloud, France @ Domaine National De Saint-Cloud
Aug. 28 Leeds, England @ Bramham Park (Leeds Festival)
Aug. 29 Reading, England @ Richfield Avenue (Reading Festival)
Aug. 31 Sant Antoni, Ibiza @ Ibiza Rocks Festival