Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are a post-britpop band which formed in Leeds, West Yorkshire… Read Full Bio ↴Kaiser Chiefs are a post-britpop band which formed in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England in early 2003. The band consists of Ricky Wilson (vocals), Andrew "Whitey" White (guitar), Simon Rix (bass), Nick "Peanut" Baines (keyboards), and Vijay Mistry(drums). Nick Hodgson is the band's former drummer and main songwriter but left the band in December 2012 to focus on other projects. The band has released seven albums as of 2020 and have released 27 singles, including the hits I Predict a Riot, Oh My God, Ruby, and Never Miss a Beat.
Several members of the band are ardent fans of the English football team Leeds United (as the band originates from Leeds). The band are named after the South African Kaizer Chiefs Football Club, the former team of long-serving former Leeds captain Lucas Radebe.
The band's main musical influences include The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Kinks, Blur, Eric Burdon, The Jam, and other new wave bands. Andrew White (b. England; guitar), Ricky Wilson (b. Charles Richard Wilson, 17 January 1975, Keighley, West Yorkshire, England; vocals), Nick Baines (keyboards), Nick Hodgson (b. Nicholas Hodgson, 20 October 1977, England; drums) and Simon Rix (b. James Simon Rix, 18 October 1977, England; bass) formed the band in early 2003, having originally played garage rock under the Parva moniker. Their energetic brand of post-millennial guitar rock, which would have been branded "indie" in previous decades, quickly found favour on the local gig circuit. The quintet issued their debut, the XTC-soundalike Oh My God, before they had even signed a proper recording contract, teaming up with the Drowned In Sound website in May 2004 for a limited edition release. A contract with the B-Unique label followed and the band began to attract wider interest at the end of 2004 with the release of their storming I Predict A Riot. The topical lyrics, concerning alcohol-fuelled violence in small English towns, attracted as much attention as the band's anarchic update on late 70s new wave.
The band's explosion onto the global music scene in early 2005 was epitomised when they had their first single I Predict A Riot off their debut album Employment played on the radio around the world and opened Live8 in Philadelphia. Several years prior to 2003 the members of the band had been a garage rock group called Parva (before that they had been known as Runston Parva). However, after their label Mantra Records went bust in late 2002, the band went back to their roots and adopted a more britpop sound, helping the band reach their current popularity within the UK and beyond as a consequence.
The band re-released the single Oh My God on 21 February, which charted at #6. The debut album Employment was released on 7 March 2005 and entered the charts at #3 that week. Despite becoming favourite after being shortlisted, the album failed to win the 2005 Mercury Music Prize. They covered the Marvin Gaye classic, Heard it Through the Grapevine for the War Child album Help! A Day in the Life, giving a whole new slant on the song.
A DVD, entitled Enjoyment, was released in November 2005. The basis of the DVD is a (semi-false) documentary about the band narrated by Bill Nighy. It also includes all the promo videos, live performances and more.
An internet-only (so far) music video for their song Sink that Ship has been released in September 2005. The video appears on Electronic Arts' website as a promotional tool for their game Burnout Revenge but is completely unbranded.
Wilson auctioned off his red tambourine to radio show Xfm in late 2005 to raise money for the homeless charity Shelter. The winning bid was £375.00.
On February 5th, The Kaiser Chiefs Released their next single, Ruby, which was a major success reaching #1 in the singles charts.
The Kaiser Chiefs released their new album, Yours Truly, Angry Mob on February 23, 2007 in The Netherlands and Belgium, February 26, 2007 in the United Kingdom and on March 27, 2007 in North America. A double disc edition is also available, the second disc being a DVD.
It is known that three of the band members went to a school near Highroyd, Leeds. Also, Nick (drummer) announced during a gig in Newcastle Upon Tyne that his dad went to a school called St. Cuthberts in Newcastle. Other famous people from that school include Ant & Dec and Sting.
The band released their third album, Off With Their Heads, on October 20, 2008. It contains the hit single Never Miss a Beat.
Songfacts states that the band's fourth album, The Future Is Medieval was released through the band's website on June 3, 2011. In effect the world's first bespoke album, fans are able to create their own version of the record by choosing their favorite 10 tracks from the selection of 20 on offer. One-minute excerpts allow them to make their selections and each song is represented by an object.
After creating their own album, people can then share their version of the record with other fans, and earn £1 each time it is purchased by someone else.
5th album "Education, Education, Education and War!" was released on 31st March 2014 on Fiction Records, featuring the UK Top 40 single, 'Coming Home', and was their first UK number one album since 2007's 'Yours Truly, Angry Mob'.
Also on the Fiction label, their 6th album, Stay Together, was released on the 7th October 2016, with a notable shift towards dance-pop, hitting #4 on the UK Albums Chart.
In 2019, they moved to Polydor, and released 'Duck' on 26th July, featuring the singles 'Record Collection' and 'People Know How To Love One Another'. It peaked at #3 on the UK Albums Chart.
Performances
Kaiser Chiefs' first big festival show was at the dual-site Reading and Leeds Festival on 27 August 2004 and in the following year, on 16 May 2005, they appeared at the Pinkpop Festival in Landgraaf, The Netherlands. After that, things went fast. They were the opening act at the Philadelphia Live 8 concert on July 2nd 2005, one of only two British acts in the lineup (Def Leppard being the other). They performed I Predict a Riot, Everyday I Love You Less and Less and Oh My God. They played Reading and Leeds in 2006 before Franz Ferdinand and were extremely popular.
June 2005 saw them headline at the May Ball at Queens' College, Cambridge, supported by Anada, before an acclaimed appearance at a rain-soaked Glastonbury festival during the same month, whilst August's appearance at the V Festival featured a very enthusiastic set despite Ricky Wilson having his leg in plaster. Also more recently they embarked on their own headline UK Tour, supported by Maximo Park and The Cribs. Their first US tour (with The Cribs) ran through the summer of 2005, and they followed it by playing a few shows on the Foozer tour. This was followed up by opening for Foo Fighters during their Australian tour in December 2005. They also played to Jools Holland and his audience on December 31, 2005.
Their song Ruby, from the album Yours Truly, Angry Mob was featured as a bonus song in Guitar Hero III, and I Predict a Riot from Employment was eventually released as downloadable content for the game.
Kaiser Chiefs are set to return to the European festival scene this summer, having been booked for Switzerland's Gurten Festival.
Several members of the band are ardent fans of the English football team Leeds United (as the band originates from Leeds). The band are named after the South African Kaizer Chiefs Football Club, the former team of long-serving former Leeds captain Lucas Radebe.
The band's main musical influences include The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Kinks, Blur, Eric Burdon, The Jam, and other new wave bands. Andrew White (b. England; guitar), Ricky Wilson (b. Charles Richard Wilson, 17 January 1975, Keighley, West Yorkshire, England; vocals), Nick Baines (keyboards), Nick Hodgson (b. Nicholas Hodgson, 20 October 1977, England; drums) and Simon Rix (b. James Simon Rix, 18 October 1977, England; bass) formed the band in early 2003, having originally played garage rock under the Parva moniker. Their energetic brand of post-millennial guitar rock, which would have been branded "indie" in previous decades, quickly found favour on the local gig circuit. The quintet issued their debut, the XTC-soundalike Oh My God, before they had even signed a proper recording contract, teaming up with the Drowned In Sound website in May 2004 for a limited edition release. A contract with the B-Unique label followed and the band began to attract wider interest at the end of 2004 with the release of their storming I Predict A Riot. The topical lyrics, concerning alcohol-fuelled violence in small English towns, attracted as much attention as the band's anarchic update on late 70s new wave.
The band's explosion onto the global music scene in early 2005 was epitomised when they had their first single I Predict A Riot off their debut album Employment played on the radio around the world and opened Live8 in Philadelphia. Several years prior to 2003 the members of the band had been a garage rock group called Parva (before that they had been known as Runston Parva). However, after their label Mantra Records went bust in late 2002, the band went back to their roots and adopted a more britpop sound, helping the band reach their current popularity within the UK and beyond as a consequence.
The band re-released the single Oh My God on 21 February, which charted at #6. The debut album Employment was released on 7 March 2005 and entered the charts at #3 that week. Despite becoming favourite after being shortlisted, the album failed to win the 2005 Mercury Music Prize. They covered the Marvin Gaye classic, Heard it Through the Grapevine for the War Child album Help! A Day in the Life, giving a whole new slant on the song.
A DVD, entitled Enjoyment, was released in November 2005. The basis of the DVD is a (semi-false) documentary about the band narrated by Bill Nighy. It also includes all the promo videos, live performances and more.
An internet-only (so far) music video for their song Sink that Ship has been released in September 2005. The video appears on Electronic Arts' website as a promotional tool for their game Burnout Revenge but is completely unbranded.
Wilson auctioned off his red tambourine to radio show Xfm in late 2005 to raise money for the homeless charity Shelter. The winning bid was £375.00.
On February 5th, The Kaiser Chiefs Released their next single, Ruby, which was a major success reaching #1 in the singles charts.
The Kaiser Chiefs released their new album, Yours Truly, Angry Mob on February 23, 2007 in The Netherlands and Belgium, February 26, 2007 in the United Kingdom and on March 27, 2007 in North America. A double disc edition is also available, the second disc being a DVD.
It is known that three of the band members went to a school near Highroyd, Leeds. Also, Nick (drummer) announced during a gig in Newcastle Upon Tyne that his dad went to a school called St. Cuthberts in Newcastle. Other famous people from that school include Ant & Dec and Sting.
The band released their third album, Off With Their Heads, on October 20, 2008. It contains the hit single Never Miss a Beat.
Songfacts states that the band's fourth album, The Future Is Medieval was released through the band's website on June 3, 2011. In effect the world's first bespoke album, fans are able to create their own version of the record by choosing their favorite 10 tracks from the selection of 20 on offer. One-minute excerpts allow them to make their selections and each song is represented by an object.
After creating their own album, people can then share their version of the record with other fans, and earn £1 each time it is purchased by someone else.
5th album "Education, Education, Education and War!" was released on 31st March 2014 on Fiction Records, featuring the UK Top 40 single, 'Coming Home', and was their first UK number one album since 2007's 'Yours Truly, Angry Mob'.
Also on the Fiction label, their 6th album, Stay Together, was released on the 7th October 2016, with a notable shift towards dance-pop, hitting #4 on the UK Albums Chart.
In 2019, they moved to Polydor, and released 'Duck' on 26th July, featuring the singles 'Record Collection' and 'People Know How To Love One Another'. It peaked at #3 on the UK Albums Chart.
Performances
Kaiser Chiefs' first big festival show was at the dual-site Reading and Leeds Festival on 27 August 2004 and in the following year, on 16 May 2005, they appeared at the Pinkpop Festival in Landgraaf, The Netherlands. After that, things went fast. They were the opening act at the Philadelphia Live 8 concert on July 2nd 2005, one of only two British acts in the lineup (Def Leppard being the other). They performed I Predict a Riot, Everyday I Love You Less and Less and Oh My God. They played Reading and Leeds in 2006 before Franz Ferdinand and were extremely popular.
June 2005 saw them headline at the May Ball at Queens' College, Cambridge, supported by Anada, before an acclaimed appearance at a rain-soaked Glastonbury festival during the same month, whilst August's appearance at the V Festival featured a very enthusiastic set despite Ricky Wilson having his leg in plaster. Also more recently they embarked on their own headline UK Tour, supported by Maximo Park and The Cribs. Their first US tour (with The Cribs) ran through the summer of 2005, and they followed it by playing a few shows on the Foozer tour. This was followed up by opening for Foo Fighters during their Australian tour in December 2005. They also played to Jools Holland and his audience on December 31, 2005.
Their song Ruby, from the album Yours Truly, Angry Mob was featured as a bonus song in Guitar Hero III, and I Predict a Riot from Employment was eventually released as downloadable content for the game.
Kaiser Chiefs are set to return to the European festival scene this summer, having been booked for Switzerland's Gurten Festival.
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Kaiser Chiefs Lyrics
- Like It Too Much In nights of old, they lie in the roads. Off with…
03-Oh My God Time on your side it'll never end The most beautiful thing…
04 think about you Hold me down I'm so excited Feeling good but slightly fright…
04 think about you 1 Hold me down I'm so excited Feeling good but slightly frigh…
05 You Can Have It All I tell you what it's going to be like I…
06 Oh My God Time on your side it'll never end The most beautiful thing…
07.I Can Do It Without You None of the buildings even look the same, And underneath th…
09 Man On Mars Put a man on Mars today It wasn't the first time I've…
13. The Angry Mob I can prove anything I'll make you admit again and again I…
Addicted to Drugs Getting married in the morning Its hardly peaches and cream …
Admire You You said that stranger things have happened I don't know why…
Always Happens Like That Yeah we plugged it in And we turned it on And we…
Another Number I'm alone, and I'm cold, Just another number On another road…
Beautiful Girl (La-la-la-la-la) (La-la-la-la-la) If I was in your shoes Th…
Born to Be a Dancer You and me were made (It's impossible to say) To be together…
Bows Hold onto your hearts, if you can It's been the coldest…
Boxing Champ We went to the youth club And we looked out of…
Brightest Star Train me up to be the brightest star I'm not laughing…
Burning in Flames We can go out burning Burning flames Burning in flames Burni…
Can't Mind My Own Business There's times There's times when I look around There's tim…
Can't Say What I Mean Well, nothing I said's so important That it can't be shorten…
Cannons Look alive, break aside, draw a line in the sand Here's…
cant say what i mean Well, nothing I said's so important That it can't be shorten…
Can’t Say What I Mean Nothing I say's so important That it can't be shortened To f…
Caroline You've done well my boy my oh my I bet you…
Caroline, Yes You've done well my boy, my oh my I bet you…
Child Of The Jago This is your nightmare calling It's the downside of life in…
Coming Home Do you wish you hadn't stayed all night? Do you wish…
Coming Up For Air In the west of town there's no promised land And if…
Cousin In The Bronx My cousin in the Bronx He knows everyone And he said start…
Dead Or In Serious Trouble His photograph was taken in 1980 In New York on a…
Don't Just Stand There Do Something She were lying in the bathroom I was banging on the…
Electric Heart Love is just a moment Digitally froze Somewhere in the deser…
Every Day I Love U Less And Less Watching the people get lairy Is not very pretty I tell…
Every Day I Love You Less And Less Everyday I love you less and less It's clear to see…
Every Thing Is Average Nowadays Sooooooooooooooooooooooo Everything is average nowadays Ev…
Everyday I Love U Less & Less Everyday I love you less and less It's clear to see…
Everything Is Average Nowadays Sooooooooooooooooooooooo Everything is average nowadays Ever…
Falling Awake That was then but this is now What's really changed Black is…
Feeling Alright Phone in dead for work again, yeah I want to see…
Flowers In The Rain Like a tomato in the rain I got that feeling again Like…
Fly On The Wall In the middle of the night, oh oh oh oh You…
From The Neck Down You're beautiful In every way From the neck down From the ne…
Getting Better It's getting better All the time I used to get mad At my…
Golden Oldies It was only just last Christmas We decided we would drive To…
Golden Skans Ooooooo ahhhh Ooooooo ahhhh Ooooooo ahhhh Ooooooo ahhh…
Good Bad Right Wrong When I was good, I couldn't have been anymore bad, And…
Good Clean Fun I never seen nobody ever live like you We never leave…
Good Days Bad Days Follow the underdog Hold on his collar tight This city loves…
Haet dies down I can just imagine you and me Running out of steam Going…
Half the Truth Girl and boy Everything in full swing Heads or tails Doesn't…
Half the Truth (Live) Girl and boy Everythin' in full swing Heads or tails Doesn't…
happen in a heartbeat 'Cause it can happen in a heartbeat, happen in a…
Hard Times Send Me Hard times send me round the bendy All I'm spending, is…
Heard It Break I swear I heard it break I swear I heard it…
Heat Dies Down I can just imagine you and me Running out of steam Going…
Heat Disco Down I can just imagine you and me Running out of steam Going…
Hessles Him instead of me Him instead of me Cause I'm out of…
High Royds I remember nights when we were young They weren't very good…
High Society Top shopping at the speed sound Stop popping down the Mega-P…
Highroyds I remember nights when we were young They weren't very good…
Hole In My Soul Strike up the band Give yourselves a great big hand and…
How 2 Dance All I ever do with you is fight, fight, fight That's…
How Do You Feel About That? I'd take you down another two-year stretch To shake it out…
I Can Well, nothing I said's so important That it can't be shorten…
I Can Do It All Without You None of the buildings even look the same, And underneath the…
I Can Do It Without You / None of the buildings even look the same, And underneath th…
I Dare You La la la Im gonna cast a spell on you You know…
I Heard It Through the Grapevine I bet you wondered how I knew About your plans to…
I Like To Fight I like to fight Throughout the night I get a kick from…
I Predict a Rio Watching the people get lairy It's not very pretty I tell…
I Predict a Riot * Watching the people get lairy Is not very pretty I tell…
I Predict A Riot Lyrics Watching the people get lairy It's not very pretty I tell…
If You Will Have Me I don't know if you'll hear this song And if you…
Indoor Firework So we started off in the heat of the sun Getting…
It Ain't Easy It's not easy, but I think you'll agree, That it's worth…
Jealousy Of the seven deadly sins Will heaven let you in If you're…
Kaiser_Chiefs_-__Everyday_I_Love_You_Less_And_Less Everyday I love you less and less It's clear to see…
Kinda Girl You Are I only wanna see the I only wanna see the kinda…
Kurt vs Frasier What do you think Of hitting the road? Leave it behind Light…
Learnt My Lessen Well We went to the youth club and we looked out…
Learnt My Lesson Well I'm just waiting for The man to come with all my…
less Everyday I love you less and less It's clear to see…
Less Is More Hey now, what you do that for, Keep your head down,…
Like It Too Much In nights of old, they lie in the roads. Off with…
Little Shocks I don't want much I'm happy? with what I've got On the…
Long Way From Celebrating I'm only here trying to make a living I need another…
Love People know how to love one another People know how to…
Love Is Not A Competition I won't be the one to disappoint you anymore, I know,…
Love Is Not A Competition (But I'm Winning I won't be the one to disappoint you anymore, I know,…
Love Is Not A Competition' I won't be the one to disappoint you anymore, I know,…
Love's not a cometition I won't be the one to disappoint you anymore, I know,…
Love's Not a Competition I won't be the one to disappoint you anymore, I know,…
Love's Not A Competition But Im Winning I won't be the one to disappoint you anymore, I know,…
Lucky Shirt I didn't know how to look, I didn't know how…
Man On Mars Put a man on Mars today It wasn't the first time I've…
Meanwhile Up In Heaven Picture yourself by a rocket Picture yourself in a glitteri…
Misery Company Do you wish you hadn't stayed all night? Do you wish…
Modern Way I know cause I've seen it It was grey and I…
Moon The tide belongs to the moon And I belong to you The…
My Kind of Guy Well it starts as a joke, like a stick in…
My Life Sometimes you wanna get away from your life Sometimes you wa…
Na Na Na Na Naa One, two, one, two, three, four Na na na na nah Na…
Na Na Na Na Naah One, two, one, two, three, four Na na na na naa,…
Never Gonna Miss A Beat ft. Lily Allen What did you learn today? I learned nothing What did you do…
Never Miss a Beat (Live) What did you learn today, I learned nothing What did you do…
Never Missed A Beat What did you learn today? I learned nothing What did you d…
Noel Groove If you're going to sing along Then come on, come on If…
Northern Holiday Almost always traveling My jumper's been raveling I snagged …
Not Surprised Hey, I'm back again Did I see you in the park? But…
Oh Time on your side it'll never end The most beautiful thing…
On The Run You can run again And all you've gotta do, is find…
One More Last Song Roll the dice, Keep 'em guessing, asking questions One more …
Onh my god Time on your side it'll never end The most beautiful thing…
Out Of Focus It's like nothing happened When everything happened You took…
Out Of My Depth You can drive in the wrong direction And arrive at your…
Parachute Over, over and over 'til you go and lock your…
People Know How To Love One Another People Know How To Love One Another People Know How To…
People Need Light People need light to get down the stair People need light…
Pinball Wizard Ever since I was a young boy, I've played the silver…
Predict A Riot Watching the people get lairy It's not very pretty I tell…
Press Rewind (Pop music, this is pop music We are writing a recording…
Problem Solved Problem solved It's easier said than done A problem solved…
Radio_One_Live_Lounge_-_Golden_Skans Ooooooo ahhhh Ooooooo ahhhh Ooooooo ahhhh Ooooooo ahhh…
Reasons to Stay Alive You give me one good reason to love you I'll give…
Record Collection Train me up to be the brightest star I'm not laughing…
remeber you're a girl Pick the one you like Love the one you're with You're goin…
Remember You're a Girl Pick the one you like Love the one you're with You're going…
Retirement There are many things that I would be proud of If…
Retirement ) There are many things that I would be proud of If…
riot Watching the people get lairy It's not very pretty I tell…
Roses All of the people All of those ordinary lives Building on th…
Ruby Da-da-da, da-da-da Da-da-da, da-da-da Let it never be said …
Ruby (Live) Let it never be said That romance is dead Cause there's so…
Ruby ) Let it never be said that romance is dead 'Cause…
Ruffians On Parade I want it, I do it, I got it, believe…
Saturday Night Da dum Da dum Da dum Da dum S-s-suddenly there's a knock at…
Sentimental Love Songs Last night, late Came out of the pictures Why do we come…
Seventeen Cups Have a cup of tea to pass the time It doesn't…
Sink That Ship Waiting just like before but just one hour of excitement out…
Spanish Metal How could we not notice it before Well you may as…
Starts With Nothing It starts with nothing And it ends in nothing You start with…
Still Waiting Hearts and stars and people waiting for their train to…
Sunday Morning I got rules and I break 'em Got laws, I don't…
Take My Temperature Take a look at your eyes they're bloody mental Swelled to…
Target Market The PowerPoint presentation of love Overhead projectors abov…
Team Mate We used to go out nightly To the armories You used to…
Telling Me To Go 5 o'clock in the morning Never seen that before Wish you'd…
Thank You Very Much Didn't expect any of this But it was really nice Didn't want…
The Angry Mob I can prove anything I'll make you admit again and again I…
The Factory Gates I want it, I need it, I got it, believe…
The Lads Some of you I've known since we were six years…
The Letter Song I would like to write you a letter Doesn't have to…
The Modern Way I know cause I've seen it It was grey and I…
The Only Ones I was last but at least I'm alive And I won't…
Things Change Separate me from Separate this Life is all, life is always …
Think About You Hold me down I'm so excited Feeling good but slightly fright…
Time Honoured Tradition Well it's a time honored tradition To get enough nutrition S…
TimeHonouredTradition Well it's a time honored tradition To get enough nutrition …
Tomato in the Rain Like a tomato in the rain I got that feeling again Like…
Try Your Best I can't do it any quicker I don't want it any…
Wait Just wait For happy ever after in a never ending summer,…
We Stay Together If it's coming then we'll take it as it comes And…
What did I ever gave you Head down, keep your head down Keep the rent down all…
When All Is Quiet When you've got 24 hours left on the clock What you…
Why Do You Do It to Me? Didn't know that we'd gotten this far now I'm ready…
Wrecking Ball It's not my problem now Get him to sort it out And…
Y06 Thank you very much Didn't expect any of this But it was really nice Didn't wa…
Yo Can Have It All I tell you what it's going to be like I…
You Can Have It All I tell you what it's going to be like I…
You Want History Yesterday you lay awake on your bed, And worked out you?d…
You Want History (Live) Yesterday you lay awake on your bed, and worked out you'd…
You Want Some History Yesterday you lay awake on your bed, And worked out you?d…