KAISER CHIEFS (Indie/Alternative)

Origin: Leeds, England
Genre(s): Indie rock, Alternative rock, Britpop, New Wave, Power Pop
Years active: 1997–1999 (Runston Parva), 2000–2003 (Parva), 2003–present

Site: http://www.kaiserchiefs.co.uk/

Members:
Ricky Wilson
Andrew 'Whitey' White
Simon Rix
Nick 'Peanut' Baines
Nick Hodgson

Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie band from Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The group was founded in 1997 and consists of Ricky Wilson (vocals), Andrew 'Whitey' White (guitar), Simon Rix (bass), Nick 'Peanut' Baines (keyboards), and Nick Hodgson (drums). They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs, a team which former Leeds United defender Lucas Radebe played for. The band are well known fans of Leeds United, and on 24 May 2008 the band played a homecoming show at Elland Road stadium.

The group's debut album, Employment, was released in 2004. It was primarily inspired by new wave and punk rock music of late 1970's, and enjoyed international success with sales of over three million. In 2005, the album was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize.
Kaiser Chiefs' second album, Yours Truly, Angry Mob (2007), yielded "Ruby", a number one single in the United Kingdom.
They are now confirmed to headline the Friday night of Isle of Wight Festival in 2008.

Kaiser Chiefs recently scrapped most of their autumn US tour saying they were too anxious to begin recording their third full length album: "We are just really desperate to write some new stuff," drummer Nick Hodgson told Billboard.com. "We don't know exactly what we're going to put out, but it will be next year [...] We're very keen on breaking the cycle of what normal bands do, which is album every two years and tour for a year-and-a-half and take six months to write," he continued. "Not only does it get predictable, it gets boring. A lot of our contemporaries do the same thing." During their UK arena shows in November and December 2007, they debuted three new songs. These may or may not be for their third album. New songs include 'Never Miss A Beat' and 'You Want History'. In May 2008, BRIT Award winner Mark Ronson confirmed that he is producing the band's forthcoming third album.

Kaiser Chiefs planned to head to a studio in Leeds, England, before the end of 2007 to do some initial groundwork. The band's lone remaining American tour date was September 29 at New York's Beacon Theatre which took place as scheduled.[23]

On 24 May 2008 the Kaisers played a homecoming show at Leeds United's Elland Road stadium. Following in the footsteps of music giants such as Queen, support acts were The Enemy, Kate Nash, Young Knives and Friendly Fires.


Discography

Albums:
2005 - Employment UK#2, US#86
2007 - Yours Truly, Angry Mob UK#1, US#45

Singles:
2004
"Oh My God" UK#66
"I Predict a Riot" UK#22
2005
"Oh My God" (re-issue) UK#6
"Everyday I Love You Less and Less" UK#10
"I Predict a Riot" (re-issue) / "Sink That Ship" UK#9
"Modern Way" UK#11
2007
"Ruby" UK#1
"Everything Is Average Nowadays" UK#19
"The Angry Mob" UK#22
"Love's Not a Competition (But I'm Winning)" UK#112

DVD:
2005 - Enjoyment