Gordon Moakes
Encyclopedia
Gordon Peter Moakes is an English multi-instrumentalist
and backing vocalist
for English indie rock
band Bloc Party
.
after responding to an advertisement placed in the NME
music magazine by Kele Okereke
and Russell Lissack
, who were seeking a bass player
. Although not originally a bassist
, Moakes was the only player the band auditioned who was able to play the bassline
for a song that Okereke and Lissack had presented. In 2002, Moakes, Lissack, and Okereke formed the first incarnation of Bloc Party
—known as The Angel Range—and played shows across London
. Moakes also ran and updated the band's website
at the time.
Moakes shares co-writing credits with Okereke on some of the band's earlier lyrics. In the early days of the band, he contributed lyrics mostly to the band's more political songs, and he composed a song titled "Diet".
His bass playing is often sparse and usually involves very little playing until latter verses, such as in "Like Eating Glass
", "Banquet
", and "Hunting for Witches
".
Moakes added new instruments to his repertoire on Bloc Party
's second and third albums, A Weekend in the City
and Intimacy
. He played drums on "Sunday", electronic drums on "Ares", glockenspiel
on "Waiting for the 7.18" and "SRXT", and a Korg
microKORG
synthesiser on "Flux
" (although he now uses a Korg X50).
He is also a backing vocalist and his voice can be heard in many of the band's songs often in contrast with Okereke's lead vocals.
He remixed their song "Talons
" from their album Intimacy
. The remix was featured on the songs download & vinyl single.
on the track "Wait a Minute" from the album Print Is Dead Vol 1
. "Wait a Minute
" was released on a limited edition 7" single on 4 October 2006. Moakes designed the cover art.
In December 2009, Moakes, Paul Mullen
(vocalist and guitarist of The Automatic
) and William Bowerman (drummer of La Roux
) worked in the studio together on a new side project, with Bloc Party
on hiatus and both The Automatic
and La Roux
inactive over the Christmas
break. In January 2010, the group were revealed to be named Young Legionnaire
and were set to play their first show at the end of January in London
.
, JG Ballard, Joy Division
, melodic hardcore
, Stanley Kubrick
, Mogwai
, post-punk revival
, Sonic Youth
.
in Newport Pagnell
, Milton Keynes
, and formerly of Tilehurst
, Reading
. He has a daughter, Scarlet, and, after her birth, he took paternity leave from the band in July and August 2008. Moakes has a tattoo of a heart on his left arm, as does his wife. During the mid- to late 1990s, he created and edited the short-lived fanzine Conform or Die.
Moakes plays his bass through an Ashdown
ABM 500 EVO II amplifier
head and an Ashdown
ABM 410T cabinet.
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
and backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
for English indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
.
Bloc Party
Moakes became a member of Bloc PartyBloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
after responding to an advertisement placed in the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
music magazine by Kele Okereke
Kele Okereke
Kelechukwu "Kele" Rowland Okereke is a British musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the indie rock band Bloc Party.-Early life:...
and Russell Lissack
Russell Lissack
Russell Dean Lissack is an English musician best known as the lead guitarist of London based indie rock band, Bloc Party. Lissack is also in the electronica band Pin Me Down; a duo of himself and Milena Mepris...
, who were seeking a bass player
Bass Player
Bass player can refer to:*Bass Player , an album by Rhombus*Bass Player , a magazine for bassists*Bassist, or bass player, a musician who plays the bass guitar...
. Although not originally a bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
, Moakes was the only player the band auditioned who was able to play the bassline
Bassline
A bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
for a song that Okereke and Lissack had presented. In 2002, Moakes, Lissack, and Okereke formed the first incarnation of Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
—known as The Angel Range—and played shows across London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Moakes also ran and updated the band's website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
at the time.
Moakes shares co-writing credits with Okereke on some of the band's earlier lyrics. In the early days of the band, he contributed lyrics mostly to the band's more political songs, and he composed a song titled "Diet".
His bass playing is often sparse and usually involves very little playing until latter verses, such as in "Like Eating Glass
Like Eating Glass
"Like Eating Glass" is a song by Bloc Party from their critically acclaimed debut album "Silent Alarm". It is the first track on the album. The song is one of their most popular amongst fans. The lyrics, which as is typical of the band's early work, are poetic and ambiguous, and deal with feelings...
", "Banquet
Banquet
A banquet is a large meal or feast, complete with main courses and desserts. It usually serves a purpose such as a charitable gathering, a ceremony, or a celebration, and is often preceded or followed by speeches in honour of someone....
", and "Hunting for Witches
Hunting for Witches
"Hunting for Witches" is a song by Bloc Party, and it is the third single of their second studio album A Weekend in the City -Content:...
".
Moakes added new instruments to his repertoire on Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
's second and third albums, A Weekend in the City
A Weekend In The City
A Weekend in the City is the second studio album by British indie rock band Bloc Party. It was recorded at Grouse Lodge Studios in Westmeath, Ireland, in mid-2006 and was produced by Jacknife Lee. The record was refined and mixed at several locations in London at the end of 2006...
and Intimacy
Intimacy (Bloc Party album)
Intimacy is the third studio album by British indie rock band Bloc Party. It was recorded in two weeks at several locations in London and Kent during 2008 and was produced by Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee. Inspired by the release options available in the Internet age, the band members made the...
. He played drums on "Sunday", electronic drums on "Ares", glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
on "Waiting for the 7.18" and "SRXT", and a Korg
Korg
is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners...
microKORG
MicroKORG
The microKORG is a MIDI-capable virtual analog synthesizer/vocoder from Korg featuring high-quality DSP analog modelling. The synth/keyboard is built in such a way that it is essentially a Korg MS-2000 with programmable step arpeggiator , a less advanced vocoder , lack of motion sequencing The...
synthesiser on "Flux
Flux (song)
"Flux" is a song by Bloc Party which was released as a single on 12 November 2007. It was produced by Jacknife Lee, along with several other new songs, during the band's week in the studio after their performances at the Carling Weekend: Reading and Leeds Festivals. The song uses mostly electronic...
" (although he now uses a Korg X50).
He is also a backing vocalist and his voice can be heard in many of the band's songs often in contrast with Okereke's lead vocals.
He remixed their song "Talons
Talons (song)
"Talons" is the second single released by Bloc Party from their third album, Intimacy. It was announced on 8 September 2008 that the song would be released as a digital download to all those who had purchased the mp3 version of the band's album. The download was made available straight after the...
" from their album Intimacy
Intimacy (Bloc Party album)
Intimacy is the third studio album by British indie rock band Bloc Party. It was recorded in two weeks at several locations in London and Kent during 2008 and was produced by Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee. Inspired by the release options available in the Internet age, the band members made the...
. The remix was featured on the songs download & vinyl single.
Other works
Moakes worked with yourcodenameis:miloYourcodenameis:milo
-External links:**...
on the track "Wait a Minute" from the album Print Is Dead Vol 1
Print Is Dead Vol 1
Print Is Dead Vol 1 is the first side project album by Yourcodenameis:Milo. The album was released on 6 November 2006 via V2 Records. Each song on the album features Yourcodenameis:Milo collaborating with guests from current British bands....
. "Wait a Minute
Wait a Minute
"Wait a Minute" is a R&B song from the Pussycat Dolls' debut album, PCD. This single was intentionally set to be released the same time as "I Don't Need a Man", which was released throughout Europe and Oceania. However, due to scheduling and the positive radio airplay of "Buttons", the single was...
" was released on a limited edition 7" single on 4 October 2006. Moakes designed the cover art.
In December 2009, Moakes, Paul Mullen
Paul Mullen
Paul Mullen is an English musician, most notable recognized for being the primary vocalist and guitarist with Yourcodenameis:milo who went on hiatus in 2007, and the joint lead vocalist, guitarist and synthesizer player for The Automatic from 2007 onwards...
(vocalist and guitarist of The Automatic
The Automatic
The Automatic , are a Welsh rock band. The band is composed of Robin Hawkins on vocals, bass and synthesizers, James Frost on guitar, synthesizers, backing vocals and occasional bass, Iwan Griffiths on drums and Paul Mullen on vocals, guitar and synthesizer - since 2007...
) and William Bowerman (drummer of La Roux
La Roux
La Roux are an English electropop duo made up of singer, keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer Eleanor Kate Jackson, and co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid. Jackson describes their relationship as "very much a half and half sharing situation... not like a singer producer outfit", but also...
) worked in the studio together on a new side project, with Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
on hiatus and both The Automatic
The Automatic
The Automatic , are a Welsh rock band. The band is composed of Robin Hawkins on vocals, bass and synthesizers, James Frost on guitar, synthesizers, backing vocals and occasional bass, Iwan Griffiths on drums and Paul Mullen on vocals, guitar and synthesizer - since 2007...
and La Roux
La Roux
La Roux are an English electropop duo made up of singer, keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer Eleanor Kate Jackson, and co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid. Jackson describes their relationship as "very much a half and half sharing situation... not like a singer producer outfit", but also...
inactive over the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
break. In January 2010, the group were revealed to be named Young Legionnaire
Young Legionnaire
Young Legionnaire are a British post-hardcore band made up of Paul Mullen , Gordon Moakes , and drummer Dean Pearson...
and were set to play their first show at the end of January in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Influences
Anne SextonAnne Sexton
Anne Sexton was an American poet, known for her highly personal, confessional verse. She won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1967...
, JG Ballard, Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
, melodic hardcore
Melodic hardcore
Melodic hardcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on vocal melody. The genre is commonly defined with fast hardcore drum beats, complex guitar riffs and melodic singing with occasional screaming and shouting.-History:...
, Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
, Mogwai
Mogwai
The word mogwai is the transliteration of the Cantonese word 魔怪 meaning "monster", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon".-Mogwai/Mogui in Chinese culture:...
, post-punk revival
Post-punk revival
The post-punk revival was a development in alternative rock of the late 20th and early 21st centuries in which bands took inspiration from the original sounds and aesthetics of garage rock of the 1960s and post-punk and New Wave of the late 1970s...
, Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
.
Personal life
Much like his other bandmates, Moakes is considered to be shy and quiet. He was educated at Ousedale SchoolOusedale School
Ousedale School, based in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, England was opened in 1963 to serve the community of Newport Pagnell and its surrounding villages. A second campus in Olney opened in 2007 to serve students from the north of the Borough of Milton Keynes.-Admissions:Ousedale serves a...
in Newport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell is a town in the Borough of Milton Keynes , England. It is separated by the M1 motorway from Milton Keynes itself, though part of the same urban area...
, Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, and formerly of Tilehurst
Tilehurst
Tilehurst is a suburb of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is also, with different boundaries as described below, a civil parish in West Berkshire district.-History:...
, Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. He has a daughter, Scarlet, and, after her birth, he took paternity leave from the band in July and August 2008. Moakes has a tattoo of a heart on his left arm, as does his wife. During the mid- to late 1990s, he created and edited the short-lived fanzine Conform or Die.
Equipment
Basses:- Fender Precision BassFender Precision BassThe Fender Precision Bass is an electric bass.Designed by Leo Fender as a prototype in 1950 and brought to market in 1951, the Precision was the first electric bass to earn widespread attention and use. A revolutionary instrument for the time, the Precision Bass has made an immeasurable impact on...
-Agave Blue Metallic, white pickguard, rosewood fretboard. Used in almost all live performances. - Fender Precision BassFender Precision BassThe Fender Precision Bass is an electric bass.Designed by Leo Fender as a prototype in 1950 and brought to market in 1951, the Precision was the first electric bass to earn widespread attention and use. A revolutionary instrument for the time, the Precision Bass has made an immeasurable impact on...
-Olympic White, rose tortoise shell scratchplate, rosewood fretboard. Used at Reading 2007. - Fender Precision BassFender Precision BassThe Fender Precision Bass is an electric bass.Designed by Leo Fender as a prototype in 1950 and brought to market in 1951, the Precision was the first electric bass to earn widespread attention and use. A revolutionary instrument for the time, the Precision Bass has made an immeasurable impact on...
-Sage Green, black pickguard, rosewood fretboard. Used at Reading 2007. - Fender Precision BassFender Precision BassThe Fender Precision Bass is an electric bass.Designed by Leo Fender as a prototype in 1950 and brought to market in 1951, the Precision was the first electric bass to earn widespread attention and use. A revolutionary instrument for the time, the Precision Bass has made an immeasurable impact on...
-Dakota Red, white pickguard, rosewood fretboard. Used in the early days of Bloc Party/Union. - Fender Precision BassFender Precision BassThe Fender Precision Bass is an electric bass.Designed by Leo Fender as a prototype in 1950 and brought to market in 1951, the Precision was the first electric bass to earn widespread attention and use. A revolutionary instrument for the time, the Precision Bass has made an immeasurable impact on...
-Butterscotch Blonde, tortoiseshell pickguard, rosewood fretboard. Used at Live EarthLive Earth-Background:Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Live Earth was built upon the belief that entertainment has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers to move the world community to action...
Moakes plays his bass through an Ashdown
Ashdown
- People :*Jamie Ashdown, footballer*Paddy Ashdown, British politician*Pete Ashdown, US businessman and politician*Peter Ashdown, racing driver*Thomas Albery Ashdown, Lt Commander RNR Rtd...
ABM 500 EVO II amplifier
Amplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
head and an Ashdown
Ashdown
- People :*Jamie Ashdown, footballer*Paddy Ashdown, British politician*Pete Ashdown, US businessman and politician*Peter Ashdown, racing driver*Thomas Albery Ashdown, Lt Commander RNR Rtd...
ABM 410T cabinet.