Matt Tong
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Matt Tong | ||
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| Image:MattTong.jpg Matt Tong
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Matthew Tong | |
| Born | April 29, 1979 (age 27) Bournemouth, England |
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| Genre(s) | Indie rock Art rock |
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| Instrument(s) | Drums | |
| Associated acts |
Bloc Party | |
| Notable instrument(s) | ||
| Pearl "Session" drum kit | ||
Matt Tong (born Matthew Tong, 29 April 1979 in Bournemouth) is the drummer for English art rock band Bloc Party. He is of English/Chinese descent and stands at 6ft 2ins. (188cm)
From an early age Tong was very musical and his first instrument was the piano. From here his musical talent blossomed and he went on to play guitar and finally by 11 the drums. At the time practicing the drums proved difficult for Tong, because at this time the he did not own a drum kit so he had to make do learning for 20 minutes a week during his lessons. By the age of sixteen, Tong finally acquired his own drum kit. During his time at Bournemouth School For Boys (where Blur bassist, Alex James once attended), he played bass in a band named Button Moon.
Later Tong moved from Bournemouth to London to further his education and received a degree in Philosophy from the University of East Anglia. At the same time he also looked for a band to join, initially intending to play guitar. He never found a band that appealed to him because they all missed the important ingredient of a drummer. Tong, feeling very frustrated about this, completely devoted himself to the drums.
About a year after having met at work, Tong was asked by work colleague Kele Okereke if he would like to try out for his band. Tong agreed and later met up with Okereke and other members Russell Lissack and Gordon Moakes. Okereke, Lissack and Moakes were very specific in what they wanted from a drummer and eight drummers had already come and gone. Tong then sat at the drum kit and what they heard according to the three was "Magic, It's a sound we thought could possibly never exist"[citation needed], and there and then Bloc Party was formed. One of the first things people notice about Tong is his thick glasses - he is almost completely blind without them and describes searching for them in the morning as a complicated business![citation needed]
Tong has used a five piece maple Pearl Session drum kit in cranberry fade finish (12x10, 14x12, 16 floor tom and 22x18 kick), with Pearl Sensitone Steel snare and Sabian AAX cymbals as used in the 2005 "Banquet" video.
On November 9, 2006, Tong was hospitalised after suffering a collapsed lung while on tour accompanying Panic! at the Disco. He is under observation and according to the Bloc Party website, he is in a "comfortable position and not in any danger", but will not be ready to play for several weeks. Thus, Bloc Party was forced to leave the tour.
| Bloc Party |
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| Russell Lissack | Gordon Moakes | Kele Okereke | Matt Tong |
| David Searston | Mat Coleman | James Chorley |
| Discography |
| Studio albums: Silent Alarm | A Weekend in the City |
| EPs: Bloc Party EP | Little Thoughts EP | Two More Years EP |
| Remix albums: Silent Alarm Remixed |
| Singles: "She's Hearing Voices" | "Little Thoughts" | "Helicopter" | "Tulips" | "So Here We Are" | "Banquet" | "The Pioneers" | "The Prayer" | "I Still Remember" | "Hunting for Witches" |
Categories: Articles lacking sources from January 2007 | All articles lacking sources | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Bloc Party members | 1979 births | English rock drummers | People from Bournemouth | Living people | Overseas Chinese | Alumni of the University of East Anglia
