KAISER CHIEFS
W L INTERVIEW
KAISER CHIEFS
Kaiser Chiefs are a band from Leeds . Since their formation , the band has consisted of lead vocalist Ricky Wilson , guitarist Andrew " Whitey " White , bassist Simon Rix , keyboardist Nick " Peanut " Baines and since 2013 drummer Vijay Mistry , who replaced founding drummer Nick Hodgson following his departure from the band in late 2012 .
Primarily inspired by new wave and punk rock music of the late 1970s and 1980s , the band have released seven original studio albums : Employment ( 2005 ), Yours Truly , Angry Mob ( 2007 ), Off with Their Heads ( 2008 ), The Future Is Medieval ( 2011 ), Education , Education , Education & War ( 2014 ), Stay Together ( 2016 ), and Duck ( 2019 ), one EP : Lap of Honour ( 2005 ), one compilation album : Souvenir : The Singles 2004 – 2012 ( 2012 ) and numerous singles , including the number one hit song " Ruby ".
Their album Employment enjoyed critical and commercial success with over three million copies sold . It has won the band three Brit Awards , including the award for Best British Group , a NME award for Best Album , and was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize . Wirral Life caught up with them .
How was lockdown for you ? It already feels like a long time ago . We feel like everyone ' s experience was very different but for us , it wasn ’ t too bad at all . We think as a band it was actually good for us to take a complete break from music and touring . There were definitely some worrying moments where you wondered if we ’ d ever play a normal gig again and how being a musician could possibly work in a covid world . But luckily that hasn ’ t transpired .
Once we came out of lockdown , how was your first gig back and how did you feel about live music returning . Was it emotional for you ? We were lucky enough to be able to do some socially distanced things during Covid and played one of the test festivals in 2021 , so all the time we were investigating how we could keep going . The very first gig was just weird . It was ' drive-in ' so everyone was really far apart , far away and at the end you could see a few cars sneaking out to avoid the rush . We ’ d all driven down separately and were socially distanced from crew and each other to some extent so playing together as a band was good but the gig itself just really weird .
After that we think the first proper thing was Latitude . That was mad because after so many months of rules / masks / etc it was just a free for all . It was absolutely ace to be playing to a normal crowd singing along and everything , but it felt like it was “ wrong ”. We think people quickly readjusted back though and on our tour last year you could see remnants of old Covid signs and things , but everything is basically the same as it was three years ago .
A new album is in the pipeline ? Our latest album is still 2019 . We ’ ve been busy making a new one though and the first single , How 2 Dance went down really well . We played it on the tour recently and the reaction was great . Another one is imminent .
When it comes to song writing , which process do you start with , is it the lyrics or melody ? It all depends but , we ’ d say neither . Usually it ’ ll be the vibe / chords / busy of the song that will get built on . But we never know it ’ s good until the melody is on there . And a lyrical hook .
Which part of the process do you enjoy most , is it being on stage , recording in the studio , or promoting your work ? Probably being on stage is the best . It ’ s the moment that all the work is for . All the writing / traveling / promoting means you get to go on stage and play your music to loads of people , which they enjoy and we enjoy . So everyone is happy .
Is there anyone you haven ’ t worked with and would like to collaborate with ? In general , we are quite happy to just do our thing . But the new album we ’ ve worked with a couple of interesting folks . So maybe that will inspire us .
What has been your most defining moment of your career to date ? We ' d generally say Glastonbury in 2005 was a real moment where it felt like things were going well . But it ’ s probably the day we all met each of the KCs .
Which song or album would be the soundtrack to a film about your life ? It would be ' Oh My God ' by Kaiser Chiefs I presume . If not maybe ' The Distance ' by Cake .
When you ’ re on the road on touring , what do you miss most ? The obvious answer is my cat and dog but it ’ s actually probably something much more practical like a shower .
Do you prefer playing Arenas or do you enjoy outdoor gigs more ? We like it all . Those two are more similar than you ’ d think really . Depends on the audience . And who else is playing .
Finally , what can people expect from you at Trentham Live 2023 ? If you ’ ve seen Kaisers , then you know what to expect . It ’ ll be a great night out . All the hits . And some future hits as well . wirrallife . com 23