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.
Highroyds
Kaiser Chiefs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They weren't very good they were rubbish
Running round Highroyds isn't fun
Just teenagers testing their courage
Standing outside nightclubs in the snow
Is not very cool or impressive
They let in all the girls from the year below
Got news from afar
From a girl who knows who we are
She's still got my dinner money
She can keep it
Never had a fight that we haven't lost
We're not very tough or athletic
Once I had a boxing champ in a headlock
And when he gets out I'll regret it
Got keys to a car
Picked up a girl from Boston Spa
For fast food and the cinema
It's not worth it
Got word from down south
Well he had heard about it word of mouth
Haven't much stayed in touch
Since Highroyds
Let it go and let it go
And if I'm wrong then I won't know
'Cause no one's gonna tell me but a friend
But he has gone and Ian's gone
And everybody went along
And nobody was left here in the end
Got news from uncle Hugh
Through a second cousin once removed
It's too late there's a housing estate
It's called Highroyds
Got a text from an ex
She wants to know when we're in London next
"And will you write a song about me?"
I don't think so
The lyrics of the song "Highroyds" by Kaiser Chiefs are reflective and nostalgic in nature. The song talks about memories from the past, particularly from teenage years spent in the small town of Highroyds. The lyrics convey a sense of awkwardness and uncertainty that often comes with being a teenager. The song mentions how the experience of running around the town wasn't fun, standing outside nightclubs in the snow wasn't cool, and the feeling of being uncool in general.
The song also talks about some events that the band members experienced during their teenage years. They mention getting news from a girl who still has their dinner money and keys to a car which they used to pick up a girl from Boston Spa for fast food and the cinema. The lyrics also talk about not being athletic and never winning any fights, but once having a boxing champ in a headlock. The song culminates with news of a housing estate built in Highroyds and a text from an ex-girlfriend, asking for a song to be written about her.
Overall, the song's lyrics are reflective and convey nostalgia for an awkward, yet somehow simpler time of teenage years. The song makes use of ordinary events and relatable experiences to create a sense of empathy with the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember nights when we were young
Reflecting on our youthful days
They weren't very good they were rubbish
Admitting that those nights were not great
Running round Highroyds isn't fun
Recognizing that Highroyds was not an ideal place for teenage activities
Just teenagers testing their courage
Acknowledging the thrill-seeking mindset of young people
Standing outside nightclubs in the snow
Recalling awkward experiences waiting to get into clubs
Is not very cool or impressive
Realizing that this behavior did not make them look good
They let in all the girls from the year below
Noting the unfairness of some clubs letting in underage girls
No need for I.D's with those dresses
Implying that the dresses were provocative and suggestive
Got news from afar
Receiving information from someone not nearby
From a girl who knows who we are
Emphasizing the importance of the relationship between the two people
She's still got my dinner money
Mentioning a trivial detail from the past
She can keep it
Showing a lack of concern about the money
Never had a fight that we haven't lost
Admitting a lack of physical prowess
We're not very tough or athletic
Stating their lack of physical fitness
Once I had a boxing champ in a headlock
Sharing a humorous anecdote about an unlikely situation
And when he gets out I'll regret it
Admitting that their bravado was not genuine and they would pay for it later
Got keys to a car
Boasting about having access to a vehicle
Picked up a girl from Boston Spa
Recalling a specific outing in the car
For fast food and the cinema
Describing a typical date night activity
It's not worth it
Admitting that the effort put into that date was not worth the outcome
Got word from down south
Learning something from someone in a distant location
Well he had heard about it word of mouth
Explaining how the information was transmitted
Haven't much stayed in touch
Admitting to neglecting their relationships
Since Highroyds
Noting the time period that has passed since they were last in touch
Let it go and let it go
Encouraging listeners to forget the past
And if I'm wrong then I won't know
Realizing that their memories of the past may be inaccurate
'Cause no one's gonna tell me but a friend
Admitting that they have limited sources of information about the past
But he has gone and Ian's gone
Mourning the loss of people from their past
And everybody went along
Implying that people moved on with their lives
And nobody was left here in the end
Recognizing the fleeting nature of friendships
Got news from uncle Hugh
Receiving information from a family member
Through a second cousin once removed
Describing the distant familial relationship
It's too late there's a housing estate
Mournfully admitting that something from the past has changed irreversibly
It's called Highroyds
Naming the location that has changed
Got a text from an ex
Receiving contact from a former partner
She wants to know when we're in London next
Describing the content of the text
"And will you write a song about me?"
Revealing the ex's motive for contacting them
I don't think so
Indicating disinterest in the ex's request
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDREW ROBERT WHITE, CHARLES RICHARD WILSON, JAMES RIX, NICHOLAS BAINES, NICHOLAS HODGSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind