One day a bunch of musicians from up North sat around gazing into their
crystal indie ball and saw something exciting. They predicted and riot
and it came and brought them great fame and fortune.
Back in the not made up world ‘band of the moment’ the Kaiser Chiefs
are enjoying all the hype being in an art-rock band in 2005 affords.
Named after the Leeds managers’ former South African football team they
used to be called Parva, which you might agree is quite pants. Luckily
the Chiefs are now aptly titled for rock ‘n’ roll royalty. But what
seems like an overnight success is actually years of hard work and
perseverance. Dryer (and camper) than a martini, drummer Nick Hodgson
tell us. “We’ve been playing together for about seven or eight years
but we only came up with the Kaiser Chiefs two years ago when we
scrapped every song we'd ever done. It was a complete change of
direction, songs, outlook and everything. We told everyone we were
going to be pop stars, so had no choice.” Was it fear of
embarrassment then? “Well, yeah. That and total misery. We had to
make sure we wrote the best songs and did the best gigs.”
Having spent most of their live time so far warming up everyone else’s
crowd they are ready to give themselves to their very own fans.
“We’re all very excited as it’s the first time we’ve been the headline
acts”, says Nick. “We’ve sold the tickets. It sold out and they
had to upgrade all the venues. So we’re expecting to have a really good
time and people will have the album by then.”
The album ‘Employment’-named so because they, “wanted the employment in
our lives to be the band,”- is the sort you would put on if you wanted
to break your converse in with some high-energy party-punk pop. (Hmmm
that’s easy for you to say) With addictive choruses (although a
definite overdose on the na, na,na,na,na,na device) and guitar action
you grew your hair long for - these guys know what fuels the indie
disco that might be because they practically invented the concept in
Leeds with their now legendary club night Pigs.
“The reason we set it up was because we were keen to start an
alternative to club nights in Leeds ‘cos the club nights we were going
to were playing the same stuff they had for years and years. Always
finishing with Stone Roses. So we read about these nights that were
happening on other parts of the world that were exciting. We’ve always
said if there’s nothing in where you live that does it for you then you
should start up your own thing and we did.”
Creating a night so good it inspires songs like ‘I Predict A Riot’, do
they think it has changed the scene? “People have mentioned that to us,
but I don’t think anyone from Leeds actually say it’s changed Leeds.
But it’s good, I hardly ever miss it.” Would you say the Leeds scene is
really vibrant at the moment? “Best in the country I’d say. Well it’s
the only one I really know. But there’s loads of good bands.”
It’s true, the riff raff from London’s East-end may be getting the
tabloid attention courtesy of Pete Do-(n’t-even-go-t)herty but it is
the North East that are creeping into our hearts and the charts.
Bands so good they made the ‘people get lairy’. “Black Wire [up and
coming punk upstarts] did an early gig at Pigs. When they were playing
that was when I came up for the idea for ‘I Predict A Riot’. I said the
actual phrase when they were on stage going crazy. You could see the
bouncers shuffling nearer and nearer towards them in a ‘we’re
going-to-stop-this’ way.” The hipsters at Pigs are so out of
control that Motorhead’s ‘Ace Of Spades’ had a temporary ban. Fancy
that. I assume Madness, who they cite as an influence, may have just
inspired their moves on the Pigs disco tiles but Nick is swift to tell
any clueless young skin that, “Madness were really cool in their day.
Just because something isn’t obvious in your sound doesn’t mean it’s
not an influence.”
Talking of influences there is one tale Nick is very keen to tell.
“Paul McCartney said he liked us. He saw us at the NME awards and
thought we were great. He told everyone on CD:UK and Xfm. We’ve just
sent him a copy of the album. (What a thoughtful gift!) It was amazing.
He’s a total hero; I’ll remember it forever. Literally the highest
achievement. We’ve done it all now.” What do you say to Paul
McCartney when you meet him though, without looking like a right
groupie? “Hey I really like the Beatle’s,” Nick mimics in dopey
Lily Salvage drawl. Told you he was dry, and as for the camp, Nick
claims he’s just clean. However when I ask him what girl band the
Chiefs would be he says Bananarama. They had some “good songs”
apparently. Didn’t last long though did they? Let’s just hope the
second album isn’t Unemployment shall we?
Kerry Eustice