Kaiser Chiefs

Specializing in a melodic blend of classic Brit-pop, post-punk, and new wave, English rock band Kaiser Chiefs deliver upbeat, anthemic tunes that have made them favorites in the U.K. indie scene since their debut in 2003. The blue-collar, pub-loving style on 2005's Employment and 2007's Yours Truly, Angry Mob managed to split the difference between timely and nostalgic, modernizing the sounds of the Jam and Blur with festival-sized hits such as "I Predict a Riot" and the chart-topping "Ruby." As styles shifted into the 2010s, the Kaisers made a brief return to form on 2014's Education, Education, Education & War before plunging headlong into a distinctly pop-oriented sound on late-2010s LPs like Stay Together and Duck. That mainstream-ready sheen blended with the group's early-career energy on their first offering of the 2020s, 2024's aptly titled Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album. Emerging from Leeds, the band's original lineup included vocalist Ricky Wilson, guitarist Andrew White, bassist Simon Rix, keyboardist Nick Baines, and drummer Nick Hodgson, who got their start under the name Runston Parva. After releasing a full-length and a handful of singles, their label shut down and they started fresh with a new moniker. Named after the South African football club, Kaiser Chiefs resurrected the mod spirit of the Jam on their single "I Predict a Riot," a supercharged class-of-1977 power pop inspired by Wilson's days as a club DJ that quickly electrified the British press when it was released in 2004. The single and Kaiser Chiefs' pogo-inducing, boot-stomping live performances soon had them pegged as rising stars in the neo-new wave revolution, along with Franz Ferdinand, Dogs Die in Hot Cars, and the Futureheads. Another single, "Oh My God," reached number 66 on the U.K. charts -- a startling achievement for an unsigned band -- and doors opened for the group to share the stage with larger acts, consequently grabbing the attention of A&R scouts who wanted to sign them. Meanwhile, "I Predict a Riot" reeled in U.S. modern rock radio programmers caught in a blooming new wave revival. Without an American label deal, Kaiser Chiefs crash-landed on some of the biggest U.S. alternative stations with the "I Predict a Riot" import single in late 2004. That same year, they recorded their debut album, Employment, for the U.K. label B-Unique. The set was released domestically in the U.S. in spring 2005. The group's follow-up, Yours Truly, Angry Mob, arrived in the spring of 2007. Topping the albums charts in the U.K., Greece, and the Netherlands, the record featured one of their biggest hits, the U.K./European chart-topper "Ruby." Riding the wave of public and critical acclaim, they made a quick turnaround the next year with their third LP. Expanding their lad-rock sound, Off with Their Heads featured guest appearances by U.K. grime rapper Sway, composer David Arnold, producer Mark Ronson, and pop star Lily Allen, who returned the love after her cover of the Kaisers' "Oh My God" appeared on Ronson's covers project Version. For their next project, the band opted for an unconventional release method. U.K. fans who pre-ordered the album were able to choose ten of 23 songs for the track listing of their own personalized version of the album, as well as personalized artwork. For everyone else, the final version of The Future Is Medieval was released for mass consumption in the U.K. in 2011. In the United States, four of the tracks -- "Out of Focus," "Long Way from Celebrating," "Dead or in Serious Trouble," and "Coming Up for Air" -- were swapped out for "On the Run," "Cousin in the Bronx," "Problem Solved," and "Can't Mind My Own Business" for the renamed 2012 version, Start the Revolution Without Me. That summer, following tours of the United Kingdom and North America, Kaiser Chiefs treated fans to Souvenir: The Singles 2004-2012, a definitive compilation of releases from a highly eventful eight-year period for the band. At the end of the year, Hodgson amicably parted ways with the group, his spot behind the kit filled in by Vijay Mistry. This was followed by the news that Ricky Wilson would be appearing in the touring stage show of Jeff Wayne's epic War of the Worlds in late 2012, playing the part of the Artillery Man, originally portrayed by David Essex. The year 2014 saw the release of Education, Education, Education & War, the band's fifth studio album and first to feature new drummer Mistry. Injecting some rock angst and political commentary back into their sound, the return-to-form set topped the U.K. album chart once again. The Kaisers returned in the summer of 2016 with a brand-new sound on the electronic dance-pop track "Parachute," the first single from their sixth album, Stay Together. Produced by Brian Higgins (Girls Aloud) and mixed by Serban Ghenea (Rihanna, Taylor Swift), Stay Together also included appearances by MNEK and One Direction songwriter Wayne Hector. Keeping in the same vein, their seventh set, Duck, arrived in 2019. Produced with Ben H. Allen (Walk the Moon, Cut Copy), the album featured more of their late-era, polished pop-rock on tracks such as "Wait" and "Record Collection." In 2024, the band returned with their first album in half a decade, their longest gap to date. Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album was produced by Amir Amor (ex-Rudimental) and also featured songwriting by Nile Rodgers on the strutting single "How 2 Dance." ~ Neil Z. Yeung