Kaiser Chiefs’ debut record Employment was one of my favorite releases as a 14-year-old kid, during the peak of my heavy Anglophile phase. I never got a chance to catch them live due to age restrictions and being up at school. I thought I’d never get my chance. Here we are, nearly a decade later, and I finally got my chance to catch them. The fact that it was at the always intimate Music Hall of Williamsburg made it all that much sweeter.
Honduras opened the show and didn’t have to come too far for it. Hailing from Bushwick, they got the crowd warmed up with a fired-up set of guitar-punk that was fully charged with youthful energy. There were bits and pieces that reminded me of Thee Oh Sees, which is of course high praise. The songs were generally in the vicinity of garage rock, with plenty of hooks to fill in the gaps. I was greatly impressed and will surely try and catch them again at SXSW where they’re playing a few shows. Next week they release their new EP Morality Cuts via Black Bell Records. The EP is available to stream now over at BrooklynVegan
The crowd was Kaiser Chiefs was a mix batch of old and young, with a few hometown Brits making their presence known with scarves and chants of “Yorkshire.” Kaiser Chiefs have a new record on the way titled Education, Education, Education & War. Although original drummer Nick Hodgson has departed, the band is doing just fine with his replacement, Vijay Mistry.
They kicked off the set with new album cut “Factory Gates”, which warmed the way for “Never Miss A Beat.” The true party starter was “Everyday I Love You Less And Less” which turned the floor into a party pit of drunken antics. It was great.
Frontman Ricky Wilson was a true showman, running across the stage, kicking his mic stand over, only to flick it back up with his foot. He was full of tricks, but mostly filled with good energy that he transferred to his gleeful performance. During “You Can Have It All” he sang the track to a fan he recognized and then lifted him up onto the stage and slow danced with him. It was a magical moment that proved to me just how great of a guy that Wilson is. He wasn’t afraid to interact with fans at all. This was proven even further during the first set closer “The Angry Mob” where he jumped into the crowd and sang while perched up on the side balcony area. He then went deep the crowd, right near my section, and sang with all the fans, commanding them to get low to the ground as they sang the chorus, before rising up and singing together. It was one of the coolest show moments that I’ve experience in quite a while.
The new material sounded fine, but for me, finally getting to hear classics such as “I Predict A Riot”, “Oh My God”, and “Ruby”, is what did me in. Between Ricky Wilson’s antics and the high-energy crowd, I had one of my best experiences at a show this year. It was just good old fun.
Kaiser Chiefs return to New York City to play Webster Hall this June. You just may find me there singing along with you there as well.
Below find some photos of the evening, as well as the setlist. I’ve also shared an embed of new single “Coming Home.”
Setlist:
1. Factory Gates
2. Never Miss A Beat
3. Everything Is Average Nowadays
4. Everyday I Love You Less And Less
5. Bows & Arrows
6. Little Shocks
7. Coming Home
8. You Can Have It All
9. Modern Way
10. Ruffians On Parade
11. I Predict A Riot
12. Ruby
13. Misery Company
14. The Angry Mob
Encore:
15. Cannos
16. Oh My God
Kaiser Chiefs:
Honduras:
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