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Kaiser Chiefs

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This article is about the band. For the South African football club, see Kaizer Chiefs FC.
Kaiser Chiefs

Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band who formed in 1997. Hailing from Leeds, the group consists of vocalist Ricky Wilson, guitarist Andrew 'Whitey' White, bassist Simon Rix, keyboardist Nick 'Peanut' Baines, and drummer Nick Hodgson. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs, a team which former Leeds United defender Lucas Radebe played for.[1]

The group's debut album, Employment, was released in 2005. It was primarily inspired by new wave and punk rock music of late 1970s,[2] and enjoyed international success with sales of over three million.[3] In 2005, the album was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize.[4] Kaiser Chiefs' second album, Yours Truly, Angry Mob (2007), yielded "Ruby", a number one single in the United Kingdom.[5]

History

Formation and early years (1996–2002)

When they were around eleven years old, Nick Hodgson, Nick Baines and Simon Rix met in the same class at St. Mary's School, Menston just outside Leeds. After leaving school, Rix and Baines left for university in 1996 whereas Hodgson remained in the Leeds area, meeting both Andrew White and Ricky Wilson. Hodgson, White and Wilson formed the band Runston Parva its name a deliberate misspelling of a small Yorkshire village called Ruston Parva. After Runston Parva failed to secure a record deal, the group would re-form as Parva upon the return of Rix and Baines from university. Parva's career would go beyond the boundaries of Leeds, and the band was able to obtain both a record and publishing deal. However, after Beggars Banquets closed the Mantra label, Parva were dropped and left desolate and without any direction after the release of an album and three singles. The band decided that they would aim for a longer term record deal and started afresh with new songs and a new name: Kaiser Chiefs. The new name was taken from South African football club Kaizer Chiefs, where former Leeds United captain Lucas Radebe had once played.[6]

Employment (2004–2006)

The group's debut album Employment was released in March 2005, being primarily inspired by new wave and punk rock music of late 1970s.[2] The album was well received by music critics, described as "thrilling from beginning to end" and "quintessentially British, without pretension and most importantly, a whole lot of fun".[7] It reached number two on the UK albums chart,[8] and was certified five times platinum.[9] In 2005, Employment was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, an annual music prize awarded for the best British or Irish album from the previous year.[4]

The first single released from the album was "Oh My God" in 2004, which reached number six on the UK singles chart when it was reissued in February 2005. In 2007, the song was covered by Mark Ronson and Lily Allen for Ronson's album Version. "I Predict a Riot" soon followed as the album's second release. In 2007, the song was ranked number thirty-six on the NME "Greatest Indie Anthems Ever" countdown.[10] The top twenty singles "Everyday I Love You Less and Less" and "Modern Way" followed in late 2005. The band opened and performed several of their singles at the Philadelphia Live Eight concert in 2005.

Yours Truly, Angry Mob (2007)

Kaiser Chiefs' second album Yours Truly, Angry Mob was released in February 2007. The group recorded the album throughout the September and October 2006 at Hook End Studio in Oxfordshire, England. The group took inspiration from Led Zeppelin and American rock music, and recorded over twenty-two songs.[11]

Unlike Employment, the album received mixed reviews from critics who found it to be "an album full of jukebox hits" and "predictable".[12] Yours Truly, Angry Mob reached number one on the UK albums chart and number forty-five on the Billboard 200 albums chart.[13]

"Ruby", the album's lead single, became Kaiser Chiefs' first UK number one single.[5] "Everything Is Average Nowadays" was released as the album's second single, and reached number nineteen in the UK.[14] The album's third single "The Angry Mob", described by the The Sun as a "clever, accessible pop" song, peaked at number twenty-two in the UK.[15][16] The fourth single, "Love's Not a Competition (But I'm Winning)", was released on 12 November as a collector's edition 7" only single via their website, peaking at a very disappointing one hundred and twelve in UK.

Off With Their Heads (2007–present)

The stage at Elland Road stadium on 24 May 2008

Kaiser Chiefs recently scrapped most of their autumn US tour saying they were too anxious to begin recording their third full length album: "We are just really desperate to write some new stuff," drummer Nick Hodgson told Billboard.com. "We don't know exactly what we're going to put out, but it will be next year [...] We're very keen on breaking the cycle of what normal bands do, which is album every two years and tour for a year-and-a-half and take six months to write," he continued. "Not only does it get predictable, it gets boring. A lot of our contemporaries do the same thing." During their UK arena shows in November and December 2007, they debuted three new songs. These may or may not be for their third album. New songs include 'Never Miss A Beat' and 'You Want History'. In April 2008, the band confirmed that BRIT Award winner Mark Ronson along with Eliot James[17] will be producing the band's forthcoming third album.[18]

Kaiser Chiefs planned to head to a studio in Leeds, England, before the end of 2007 to do some initial groundwork. The band's lone remaining American tour date was 29 September at New York's Beacon Theatre which took place as scheduled.[19]

On 24 May 2008 the Kaisers played a homecoming show at Leeds United's Elland Road stadium. Following in the footsteps of music giants such as Queen, support acts were The Enemy, Kate Nash, Young Knives and Friendly Fires.[20]

On 1 June 2008 at Anfield they supported Sir Paul McCartney on his homecoming concert as part of Liverpool's European Capital of Culture year.

During their summer tour, four songs were introduced from their upcoming album: "Never Miss A Beat", "You Want History", "Half The Truth" and "Can't Say What I Mean". The release date for the album is expected around October 2008, the same time Bloc Party, Oasis and Keane plan to release theirs.

On 4 August 2008, the band confirmed the name of their third album as Off With Their Heads, to be released on 20 October 2008. The first single was also confirmed as "Never Miss a Beat". The single will be released on the 6 October 2008[21]. Also, Nick 'Peanut' Baines and Nick Hodgson are to appear in feature film documentary Tattoos: A Scarred History, due out in 2009.

Kaiser Chiefs are to set out on a UK tour in October with Donnington band Late of the Pier and The Hair. The tour will start at Leeds Academy, a new venue where they will be the first band to play. Other dates include Manchester Academy, Southampton Guildhall, Reading Rivermead, Glasgow Barrowlands, Leicester De Montford and London Forum.

It has also been announced that Kaiser Chiefs are to head out on a 10 Date UK Arena tour kicking off in Nottingham and ending in London. The tour will also visit Sheffield, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool and Cardiff. This will be the main tour to Promote new album "Off With Their Heads". This tour will be between February and March 2009.

Discography

Main article: Kaiser Chiefs discography

References

  1. ^ BBC South Yorkshire, Kaiser Chiefs Interview
  2. ^ a b Heather Phares. "Employment > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 14 September 2007.
  3. ^ "Kaiser Chiefs 2007 Biography". KaiserChiefs.co.uk. Retrieved 14 September 2007.
  4. ^ a b "Antony and Johnsons win Mercury". BBC. 7 September 2005. Retrieved 14 September 2007.
  5. ^ a b "Ruby Music Charts: Kaiser Chiefs". aCharts.us. Retrieved 14 September 2007.
  6. ^ BBC South Yorkshire, Kaiser Chiefs Interview
  7. ^ "Employment by Kaiser Chiefs". MetaCritic.com. Retrieved 14 September 2007.
  8. ^ "Employment Music Charts: Kaiser Chiefs". aCharts.us. Retrieved 14 September 2007.
  9. ^ British platinum certification for Employment. British Phonographic Industry. 17 February 2006. Retrieved 14 September 2007.
  10. ^ "The Greatest Indie Anthems Ever - countdown continues". NME. 1 May 2007. Retrieved 15 September 2007.
  11. ^ "The Kaiser Chiefs discuss new album". NME. 20 October 2006. Retrieved 14 September 2007.
  12. ^ "Yours Truly, Angry Mob by Kaiser Chiefs". MetaCritic.com. Retrieved 14 September 2007.
  13. ^ "Yours Truly, Angry Mob Music Charts: Kaiser Chiefs". aCharts.us. Retrieved 14 September 2007.
  14. ^ "Everything Is Average Nowadays Music Charts: Kaiser Chiefs". aCharts.us. Retrieved 14 September 2007.
  15. ^ "Single Review". The Sun. 17 August 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2007.
  16. ^ "The Angry Mob Music Charts: Kaiser Chiefs". aCharts.us. Retrieved 14 September 2007.
  17. ^ [1] Interview with NME Magazine. Retrieved 23 May 2008.
  18. ^ [2] Interview with NME Magazine. Retrieved 23 May 2008.
  19. ^ Billboard.com
  20. ^ "Kaiser Chiefs play homecoming show at Leeds United's stadium". NME.com. 24 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
  21. ^ a b "Kaisers reveal Off With Their Heads LP". Digital Spy. 4 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
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