Bloc Party's Kele Okereke has described as a "nasty vortex" the Vice brand, whose record company arm released the band's latest album in the United States.
Vice's flagship product is its glossy magazine, which has been repeatedly criticised for its flippant treatment of issues such as racism and homosexuality. It was co-founded by self-described conservative, Gavin McInnes.Okereke described his band's association with Vice as "one of the things that I most regret about our history. I wish I'd voiced my concerns at the time, articulated them more clearly."
Whilst he pointed out that, "the people that we work with are lovely, and they're a separate company from the magazine," he continued by claiming that "Vice the brand just fills me with dread, really. It's a real kind of nasty vortex, where any decency and general compassion to other people has just been completely obliterated.
"I don't know if the magazine is still like that, but it certainly was very much so back then."
