Bloc Party go on hiatus after headlining Latitude Festival

British rockers Bloc Party took to the stage at Britain’s Latitude Festival on Friday night (19Jul13) for their last show before the group’s upcoming hiatus. The Helicopter hitmakers performed their hits for fans during a 90-minute set at the music event in Suffolk, England, marking their final performance before an extended break.
However, drummer Matt Tong missed the show – he was replaced by New Young Pony Club member Sarah Jones. No explanation for his absence was given.
The hiatus is the group’s second in recent years – they took a break in 2009 to allow frontman Kele Okereke to focus on releasing a solo album. They made a comeback with their fourth record, Four, in 2012.
Guitarist Russell Lissack previously said of the short split, “After we finish the festivals in the summer, we’ll be taking some time off. At least six months, maybe a year, maybe two years; it’s hard to say. Once we start taking time off, people start doing their own thing. So once people start doing things then you’ll start naturally extending how long we spend apart.”