Background information
Origin
Leeds, England
Genre(s)
Indie
rock
Post-punk revival
New
Wave
Years active
2003 – Present
Label(s)
MCA
Music, Inc.
B-Unique
Polydor
Drowned
In Sound (first single)
Website
www.kaiserchiefs.co.uk
Members
Ricky Wilson
Andrew 'Whitey' White
Simon
Rix
Nick 'Peanut' Baines
Nick
Hodgson
Kaiser Chiefs are an English band
from Leeds.
They were formed in early 1997 by school friends Nick
Hodgson, Simon Rix and Nick
Baines. They were later joined by Andrew
White and art school graduate Ricky Wilson, whom they
spotted singing with a Rolling Stones tribute band.
Since they formed, the Kaiser Chiefs have achieved both critical
acclaim and commercial success. Their first album, Employment, sold
more than 3 million copies and was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Prize.
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Contents
- 1 History
- 2 Discography
- 2.1 Studio
albums
- 2.2 Singles
- 2.2.1 Special and international singles releases
- 2.3 Remixes
- 2.4 Compilations
- 2.5 Awards
- 2.6 Trivia
- 3 References
- 4 External
links
- 4.1 Official
sites
- 4.2 Fansites
- 4.3 Other
sites
|
History
The band was originally named Runston Parva (incorrectly named
after the East Yorkshire village of Ruston Parva) and later Parva. After
reinventing themselves as Kaiser Chiefs in 2003, they 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.[2]
Their self recorded debut single, "Oh My God" was
released in May 2004 and reached number 66 in the UK
Singles Chart. Its follow-up, "I Predict a Riot", gained a notable
22 in the chart in Nov 2004,
despite being a virtually unknown band. The majority of people are
unaware that these songs were released prior to the successful re-issue
of "Oh My God" in 2005. The band also re-issued "I Predict a Riot"
after the increased exposure that "Oh My God"and "Everyday I Love
You Less and Less" brought them.
Kaiser Chiefs at Summercase
Their most successful single to date is "Ruby"
which peaked at #1 on February 25, 2007. Their debut album Employment,
produced by famous Britpop producer Stephen
Street was released in 2005. A second album, entitled Yours Truly, Angry Mob
and also produced by Street, was released on February
26, 2007.
The band most recently played at the Glastonbury
Festival (June 24th 2007) in the UK, following their appearance at the Coachella
Festival in California in April. They recently made an appearance on
the Tonight
Show in support of their new album.
They recently announced a UK arena tour for the end of 2007 playing 10
shows in 3 weeks
Some people believe that the band's name comes from the German
word for Emperor,
which is Kaiser,
but this is in fact not true. The band support Leeds
United and named themselves after Kaizer
Chiefs FC - the former team of ex-Leeds United captain Lucas
Radebe.
The band has received notable criticism for their "working
class wannabe" attitude, demonstrated in the lyrics and content of
their music. This is made more ironic in that the members are all upper
middle class and educated to university degree level.
Discography
Studio albums
- Employment
- 7
March 2005 -
#2 (UK); #10 (Netherlands); #86
(U.S.)
- Worldwide Sales: estimated 4.3
million
- Yours Truly, Angry Mob
- 26
February 2007
- #1 (UK, Netherlands, Greece); #2
(Ireland, Belgium); #6 (Germany); #9
(Australia); #25 (Canada); #45
(France, U.S.)
Singles
| Year |
Song |
UK
Singles Chart |
UK Download Chart |
U.S.
Modern Rock |
Album |
| 2004 |
"Oh My God" |
#66 |
- |
- |
Employment |
| "I Predict a Riot" |
#22 |
- |
- |
| 2005 |
"Oh My God" (reissue) |
#6 |
#2 |
- |
| "Everyday I Love
You Less and Less" |
#10 |
#13 |
- |
| "I Predict a Riot" (reissue) / "Sink
that Ship" |
#9 |
#6 |
#34 |
| "Modern Way" |
#11 |
#27 |
- |
| 2007 |
"Ruby" |
#1 |
#1 |
#14 |
Yours Truly, Angry Mob |
| "Everything Is Average
Nowadays" |
#19 |
- |
- |
| "The Angry Mob" |
TBR |
TBR |
TBR |
Special and international
singles releases
- The Cribs/Kaiser Chiefs split "7
(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)
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.
Compilations
- Music from the OC: Mix 5
(2005 · Warner Bros./Wea)
- Help! A Day In The Life - "I Heard It Through The
Grapevine" (2005 · Independiente)
Awards
2006
- 2006 BRIT Awards: British Rock Act
- 2006 BRIT Awards: British Live Act
- 2006 BRIT Awards: British Group
Kaiser Chiefs were the most successful artists in the Brit
awards 2006, winning more awards than anyone else, despite not having a
single number 1 single OR album (at the time).
- 2006 NME Awards: Best Album
- 2006 NME Awards: Best Dressed
(for Ricky Wilson)[1]
Trivia
- In a 2007 youtube webcast, Beatle Paul
McCartney confessed that he enjoyed the music of the Kaiser
Chiefs.
- Fellow British band McFly did an acoustic version of I Predict A
Riot.
References
External links
Official sites
Fansites
Other sites
| v • d • e Kaiser
Chiefs |
| Ricky Wilson
| Andrew "Whitey" White
| Simon
Rix | Nick
Hodgson | Nick
"Peanut" Baines |
| Discography |
| Albums: Employment
| Yours Truly, Angry Mob |
| Singles: "Oh My God" | "I
Predict a Riot" | "Everyday I Love
You Less and Less" | "Modern Way" | "Ruby" | "Everything Is Average
Nowadays" | "The Angry Mob" |
| DVDs: Enjoyment |
| Other releases: Lap
of Honour | "You
Can Have It All" |
| Related
articles |
| Kaizer Chiefs Football
Club | B-Unique Records | Polydor
Records | Stephen Street |
