A monolith of pure British rock, the Kaiser Chiefs are the literal embodiment of what it means to be rockers. With a career spanning across almost two decades, more albums than members, and some of the biggest anthems to ever come out of the UK, the Kaiser Chiefs have more than secured their status as a colossal force of rock music. In conjunction with their newest album, Stay Together, tonight’s sell out show at the Brighton Centre is one of pure pandemonium. Buckle up, because as predicted, this one is going to be a riot.
Kicking things off are HOWL, a bright, bouncy bunch who offer a terrific start to the evening. Their style of upbeat pop is refreshing and holds more than enough liveliness to get this crowd on their feet. Vocalist, Sam Augustine, has one of the most varied voices I’ve come across in a while, his coarse tones add an infectious beat into the tracks, whilst his high notes are a piece of art in themselves; imagine Sam Smith meets indie rock.
I look forward to seeing more of what HOWL can come up with in the future Spring King take to the stage next and could not have been a more appropriate support act. Having a drumming vocalist is always a demonstration of some brilliant talent but, when your sound is reminiscent of Kaiser Chief’s own Employment, your tracks are only going to go down well here. The punchy, harder tones and powerful, intricate guitar solos in tracks like ‘Demons’ and ‘Detroit’ add a nice new dynamic that gets the crowd just that bit more prepped for what is yet to come.
The lights blacken and a neon sign stating: ‘Tonight, Kaiser Chiefs’ begins to frantically flicker into a spectrum of colour. The opening verse of ‘We Stay Together’ pierces the blackness and a vast curtain plummets as the song’s instrumentals kick in. The curtain reveals a smaller stage within the main one, littered with all kinds of paraphernalia frequently found in local make-shift venues, a clear nod to Kaiser Chiefs’ humble beginnings. Singer, Ricky Wilson, then jokingly announces “Hello Concorde 2!” and the track’s built up energy is let out. Judging from the manic response that comes from the audience, the bar has been set for the evening.
Ricky now dominates the entirety of the main stage as he runs from side to side throughout every song. He flings himself onto the speakers and bashes into the other members, all whilst not dropping a single note. Classic crowd pleasers such as ‘Everything is Average Nowadays’ and ‘Everyday I Love You Less And Less’ make early appearances and proceed to send the room into a frenzy of frantic hysteria, screaming each lyric back at the band.
In amongst all of the commotion, an issue with the keyboards arises and forces the band to play an improvised, but perfectly executed version of ‘Na Na Na Na Naa’. After already playing four or five huge hits back to back, you’d think the crowd were ready for something slower. No such chance! ‘Ruby’ then fills the room and yet another tsunami of voices are heard in unison chanting the unforgettable chorus.
The set continues its wacky antics and new tracks like ‘Parachute’ make warmly welcomed appearances. It is at this point the lights dim once more and Ricky dashes through the crowd to the centre mixing desk. He proceeds to clamber onto yet another makeshift stage and perform ‘Meanwhile Up In Heaven’ whilst a ginormous disco ball plasters the crowd with a glistening shimmer. Ricky’s heartfelt rendition of the song is incredibly emotional and will have certainly made for a treasurable moment for fans.
As the set begins to come towards its end, Ricky’s infectious humour ensures that the energy doesn't drop as he proceeds to toy with the audience. An unmistakably recognisable guitar ring is suddenly sent spiralling throughout the room and opening line: “Watching the people get lairy” sends everyone into another erratic fit of movement. Of course, ‘I Predict A Riot’ is the culprit. Never before have I witnessed a track cause such an overwhelming sense of energy through a crowd; the chorus generates a sea of battle cries and flashbacks of my younger self dancing around my living room come into vision. ‘Coming Home’, accompanied by a projection of a map of Brighton and the blast of a giant confetti cannon, makes for a stunning ending to the show.
The Kaiser Chiefs are a band which so many, myself included, have grown up alongside and it felt an immense privilege to hear them played live. So many bands from the similar era have either fallen into nothingness or broken up but, judging from tonight’s performance, and Stay Together’s release, it is clear that the Kaiser Chiefs are by no means washed up and still have some beautiful music to grace to the world.
Ben Walker
Website: kaiserchiefs.com
Facebook: facebook.com/kaiserchiefs
Twitter: twitter.com/KaiserChiefs