The Kaiser Chiefs are an English Indie/Pop band from Leeds, formed early in 1997 under the moniker Parva. After reinventing themselves as the Kaiser Chiefs in 2003 the band made a strong impact on the British music scene, culminating in winning three Brit Awards for 'Best Group', 'Best British Rock Act' and 'Best Live Act' in 2006 [1]
Kaiser Chiefs | |
|---|---|
| File:KaiserChiefsBrits.jpg | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Leeds, England |
| Years active | 2003 to present |
| Members | Ricky Wilson Andrew White Simon Rix Nick Baines Nick Hodgson |
History
Prior to 2003 the members of the band had been a garage rock group called Parva (before that having been known as Runston Parva). However, after being dropped by their label, 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. Ricky Wilson's first band was actually called the LadderCoins, which he formed as a funk band at the age of 16.
Several members of the band are ardent fans of the English football team Leeds United. The band was named after the South African Kaizer Chiefs Football Club, the former team of long-serving former Leeds captain Lucas Radebe.
On 18 February, 2005 the Kaiser Chiefs were the opening act at the NME Awards show and won the Philip Hall Radar Award.
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.
A DVD release, 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.
Current lineup
Performances
Kaiser Chiefs' first big festival show was at the dual-site Reading and Leeds Festival on 27 August2004 and in the following year, on 16 May 2005, they appeared at the Pinkpop Festival in Landgraaf, Holland. After that, things went fast. They were the opening act at the Philadelphia Live 8 concert on 2 July 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".
June 2005 saw them headline at the May Ball at Queens' College, Cambridge, supported by Anada, before an acclaimed appearance at a rainsoaked 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.
2006 will be a year with not too many performances, as the band starts to record their new album in August. March 1, the band played their biggest concert ever, in the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam, Holland, performing for a more than 5.500 crowd. This show was a part of their Europe tour in February and March. In April there will be several shows in the UK, followed by a few festivals in June and July, like Pinkpop, Rock Am Ring and Rock Werchter.
Discography
Studio albums
-
Employment 7 March 2005 #2 (UK); #86 (US)
Worldwide Sales: estimated 2 million
Awards and Achievements
- 2006 Brit Awards: British Rock Act
- 2006 Brit Awards: British Live Act
- 2006 Brit Awards: British Group[2]
- 2006 NME Awards: Best Album
- 2006 NME Awards: Best Dressed (for Ricky Wilson)[3]
- 2005 3voor12 (NL): Best Single: Oh My God 3voor12.nl article
Singles
From Employment
- "Oh My God" (2004), #66 UK
- "I Predict a Riot" (2004), #22 UK
- "Oh My God" (re-release) (2005), #6 UK
- "Everyday I Love You Less and Less" (2005), #10 UK
- "I Predict a Riot" / "Sink that Ship" (2005), #9 UK, #34 US (Modern Rock Tracks)
- "Modern Way" (2005), #11 UK
Special and international singles releases
- The Cribs/Kaiser Chiefs split "7 (features "Modern Way") (2005)
- "You Can Have it All" (limited edition Christmas 7", available only on the Kaiser Chiefs website and restricted to 2000 copies) (2005)
- "Lap of Honour" (Japan only EP) (2006)
- "Na Na Na Na Naa" (Japan and Australia only) (2006)
Remixes
- Kaiser Chiefs and Boys Noize - Everyday I Love You Less And Less (Whitelabel vinyl 2005)
- This song was famously spun by Tiga at 2005's I Love Techno music festival.