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.
Sink That Ship
Kaiser Chiefs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
but just one hour of excitement out of these 24
and now there's 15 minutes to go
before you said it would be that long 15 minutes ago
Oh Oh Oh, Oh Oh Oh, Oh Oh,
Oh Oh Oh, Oh Oh Oh, Oh Oh,
they couldn't wait to stop you so you knocked off their socks
With all the making up for lost time
makes up past experience and adrenaline
Oh Oh Oh, Oh Oh Oh, Oh Oh,
Oh Oh Oh, Oh Oh Oh, Oh Oh,
sink that ship, do it all in one go
and you rock that boat, and they can't say no
do what you like, that's alright
you gotta make mistakes, that's what it takes
sink that ship, do it all in one go
seeing all the sights, 'cause they're all very nice
have that next with your eye on the decks
you've gotta take that risk, or you'll blink and you've missed it
Oh Oh Oh, Oh Oh Oh, Oh Oh,
Oh Oh Oh, Oh Oh Oh, Oh Oh,
Rewind back to the start
I'm good for nothing, but you looked for the heart
and now you're angry, counting to ten
I wouldn't do it slowly but I'd do it again
Oh Oh Oh, Oh Oh Oh, Oh Oh,
Oh Oh Oh, Oh Oh Oh, Oh Oh,
Sink that ship, do it all in one go
and you rock that boat, and they can't say no
do what you like, that's alright
you gotta make mistakes, that's what it takes
sink that ship, do it all in one go
seeing all the sights, 'cause they're all very nice
have that next with your eye on the decks
you've gotta take that risk, or you'll blink and you've missed it
The Kaiser Chiefs' song "Sink That Ship" is an upbeat and energetic track that urges the listener to take risks and live life to the fullest. The lyrics are full of metaphors and imagery that paint a picture of someone who is tired of waiting around and decides to take action instead. The song starts with the line "Waiting just like before but just one hour of excitement out of these 24", which sets the tone of impatience and restlessness.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more urgent, with the repeated refrain of "sink that ship" urging the listener to take action and not be afraid to make mistakes. The line "do what you like, that's alright, you gotta make mistakes, that's what it takes" is a powerful call-to-arms that encourages listeners to take risks and not be afraid of failure.
The song also touches on the theme of redemption, with the line "Rewind back to the start, I'm good for nothing, but you looked for the heart" suggesting that even if you've made mistakes in the past, there's always a chance for redemption and starting over.
Overall, "Sink That Ship" is an uplifting and empowering song that encourages listeners to take risks and live life to the fullest.
Line by Line Meaning
Waiting just like before
Repeating the same old thing, waiting for something to happen
but just one hour of excitement out of these 24
Only a small amount of time is truly exciting out of a whole day
and now there's 15 minutes to go
Almost at the end, but still a bit of time left
before you said it would be that long 15 minutes ago
Time seems to be dragging and the wait is longer than expected
eighteen out of the blocks
Getting off to a quick start
they couldn't wait to stop you so you knocked off their socks
Others are trying to slow you down, but you continue to push forward
With all the making up for lost time
Trying to catch up for time that was wasted
makes up past experience and adrenaline
Compensation for lost time provides energy and excitement
sink that ship, do it all in one go
Take bold action and succeed without hesitation
and you rock that boat, and they can't say no
Be so successful and confident that others cannot refuse you
do what you like, that's alright
Do whatever you want, it's okay to take risks
you gotta make mistakes, that's what it takes
Making mistakes is necessary for growth and success
seeing all the sights, 'cause they're all very nice
Take in all the wonderful experiences and sights around you
have that next with your eye on the decks
Focus on the future and keep moving forward
you've gotta take that risk, or you'll blink and you've missed it
It is important to take risks or you will miss out on opportunities
Rewind back to the start
Going back to the beginning
I'm good for nothing, but you looked for the heart
I may not seem useful, but you saw something worthwhile in me
and now you're angry, counting to ten
Feeling frustrated and trying to control emotions
I wouldn't do it slowly but I'd do it again
Not willing to waste time, but willing to take risks again
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDREW ROBERT WHITE, CHARLES RICHARD WILSON, JAMES RIX, NICHOLAS BAINES, NICHOLAS HODGSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lesley Ann Lynch
I love this!!! How was this ever a b-side?????
Celestia Ludenberg {Vampire}
Possible beta/alpha Burnout Revenge song??
C. S.
B-side of what?
CHUPACHIEP
"I Predict A Riot"
DonutCass
WAITING
Darkevil BR
Burnout Revenge Trailer Commercial
Celestia Ludenberg {Vampire}
could also be a possible beta song
Marvin Rodriguez
Burnout Revenge on Xbox
Xbox4life
Celestia Ludenberg {Vampire}
@Marvin Rodriguez wouldn't be the first time a beta song was in an ad Burnout 3 Takedown was meant to have Cish Cash by Basement Jaxx
Marvin Rodriguez
@Celestia Ludenberg {Vampire} I guess so
But it was in the ad