Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke says he has taken aspects of his own personal experiences for inspiration for his new musical, Leave To Remain.

A "modern love story", it follows a young gay couple who are facing an uncertain future when a visa comes into question and, as the title suggests, is set amid the chaos of Brexit.

The singer-songwriter says it is not autobiographical "in the traditional sense" but that he has drawn on lots of different stories to tell the tale.

"I think all writing is in part autobiographical," he tells Sky News. "It's not an autobiography in the traditional sense, but there are aspects of the characters that are drawn from personal experiences, aspects from friends and people we've spoken to. And actors bring their own experiences as well.

"I feel like it's an amalgamation of lots of different things. That's the art of good storytelling - taking things from different places."


Okereke, who has written the show with co-writer Matt Jones, says he had the initial idea for the story around eight years ago.

It was first mooted as a TV show, but eventually the decision was made to turn it into a musical.

While the title obviously suggests Brexit, the idea came way before the referendum result in 2016. As the UK voted Leave and the drama over a deal rumbled on, and on, it was decided that themes around the UK leaving the EU fitted the musical's storyline.

"With the title, we don't want to confuse people," Okereke says. "Brexit is a backdrop to the drama but it was a relatively recent addition to the story.

"As people who come to see the show will see, it's a story about a gay marriage and the ramifications that the resulting new union has on people's families.

"One of the characters is an immigrant and that's what precedes the proposal. It's more about who we decide to give residency to in our lives, if that makes sense.

"[Brexit] seemed like a prescient backdrop given that this story is about two lovers from different places. It seems like so much of what is happening with Brexit seems to be dividing people.

"So much of the Brexit discourse seems to be about identity - well, that's what I'm reading it to be about. It's nice to be working on something which is about two people coming together in love."

Image: Co-writer Matt Jones, Okereke, and choreographer Robby Graham. Photo: David Tett

Leave To Remain is Okereke's first foray into musical theatre.

"It's going good," he says. "I've never been in this environment before and I think some people are stressed because there's a lot to do in a short space of time. But everyone says that's standard. I'm taking their word for it.

"It's amazing watching it all come together and seeing how the idea has turned into something real."

The main characters are Obi, who is West African, played by Tyrone Huntley, and Alex, who is white American, and played by Billy Cullum.

Okereke said he wanted to create a fusion of sounds when writing the music.

"It was important to bring in a West African style together with more traditional western club kind of music. There were two different worlds - that was something I knew from the get-go I wanted to represent."

Image: Leave To Remain is on at the Lyric Hammersmith

Okereke says he watched as many musicals as he could for research, from Hamilton to Wicked - although admits he is not generally a fan of musical theatre.

"Personally I'm not a big fan, no, so it was a challenge for me - how could I make music that I would want to go and see? Music that wasn't cliched or trite. Something that made sense to me.

"I tried to see as many different musicals as possible. I felt it was important to try and understand the form; it wasn't so much about the music but trying to understand how it works, the technicalities.

"I had to go back and rework songs for the stage. I realised it needed to be bigger. Writing for the stage is very different to writing for a record."

Speaking of which, Okereke has also just finished making his next solo record, a project he is "very excited about", due to be released next year. Bloc Party are also due to start work on their sixth album "in a few months' time, so it's going to be a busy year", he says.

It all comes after a relatively quiet period for the singer, who now has a two-year-old daughter, Savannah, who was born via a surrogate.

"It's just amazing watching the world through somebody else's eyes, who's never seen it," he says, "Every day she's expressing something different. I feel very thankful that for the most part I've been at home in these formative years and seeing her first words and steps.

"I made a conscious decision not to travel so much. It is a balancing act. I have put out a record and toured and you have to find the time. We're lucky there are two of us."

Okereke says becoming a father has changed his mindset, but he feels that every new thing he has written has "always come from a different place".

"It's like this musical, it was new terrain for me. The last album I did was new territory as well.

"I feel like I really like putting myself in situations where I don't know so much about what I'm supposed to be doing."

:: Leave To Remain is running at the Lyric Hammersmith until 16 February, with the soundtrack released on 24 January.