Sunday February 9th – 7:30pm to 11pm
Kele Okereke has never been one to shy away from politics. His work with Bloc Party, as well as his own output – most recently his highly acclaimed 2019 musical, Leave To Remain – has grappled with everything from government corruption to sexual and racial identity. So it should come as no surprise that Kele’s fourth solo album is his most political work to date – not least given what he describes as the “morally bankrupt time” we are living through.
Titled 2042, the record takes its name from a projection made by the Census Bureau in the United States a few years ago – 2042 is the predicted year by which ethnic and racial minorities will have become the majority. “That idea is seen as worrying in right wing discourse,” explains Kele, “But I wanted to counter that – if the face of the world is changing, I personally think that could only be a good thing. There will be more voices, and a redressing of power – I wanted to explore that idea that the genetic make-up of the people who hold hegemonic power will inevitably change.”