KAISER CHIEFS @ LONDON ASTORIA 22nd April 2005
Kaiser chiefs rock n roll bandwagon rolled into the capital tonite, kicking and screaming in every direction. Ricky Wilson, lead singer, had recovered from his sprained ankle, which had confined him to use a walking stick to aid his movement. This he had brandished with a sense of pride and a touch of humour during every interview and gig. The chiefs opened up with Na na na naa, which whip the crowd into a frenzy which never relinquished its manic grip. The band poured through ten of the twelve songs from debut album EMPLOYMENT. The two missing songs were Caroline Yes and Team Mate. Two new songs were aired, which may be release as singles or could be complied onto their next album, this at time of writing the review was still to be confirmed. Sadly due to yours truly being, at this point, deaf as an oap, I was unable to gather the titles of the new tracks. This was due to the wall of noise I was confronted with. When the band launched into songs such as I Predict A Riot and Oh My God the whole Astoria exploded into a whirlwind of noise. Every word was sang, every pause was acknowledged, every na na na or la la la was shouted. In a nutshell these two songs alone were worth the entrance fee. They simply blew the roof off the Astoria. Strobe lighting was used through both numbers and a handful of other tracks, this caused wide spread panic as the crowd dancing to the songs got disorientated due to extreme blurry vision. The powerful lighting had me blinking and rubbing my eyes furiously just so I could get my vision back. Hey-ho small price to pay when you see geniuses like the Kaisers. Current single Everyday I love you less and less went down a storm. This being the Chiefs third single from the album. This like all songs was received like a bomb going off from the audience.
The Kaisers are storming there way up the ladder of the Rock league, and on this evidence rightly so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nine Black Alps
As soon as I had found out that the Kaisers where playing the Astoria, I immediately reached for the phone to book the tickets. The speed at which I reached and punched in the numbers of the box office where increased ten fold when I read that Nine Black Alps where supporting the Chiefs. Fan-bloody-tastic!!!! NBA steamrolled through their set at a fast and furious pace. At times you couldn’t distinguish where one song finished and another began. Lead Singer Sam Forrest did announce the songs but due to his mancunian accent I wasn;t sure of what he was saying ( you’re alright are kid etc) One song I did recognise was Cosmopolitan. The band ripped thorough this as if they were being electrocuted. Forrest hair jumping about like a morris dancer on smack. Current single shot down went down a storm. Another short, punchy three minute beauty from NBA. Debut album Everything Is, is currently being finalised and a released date for June 6th has been pencilled in.
A nationwide tour for NBA starts on May 2nd at The Garage in Highbury. If you’ve got a free evening and a couple of quid spare you know what to do!!!!!!!!!
The Duels
After reading this weeks NME (23rd April) I finally discovered the second support band for the Kaisers. Its unusual to find only one band supporting the main act, so I was intrigued to find that The Duels were to appear at the Astoria. Having never seen or heard the band before I was looking forward to finding out more about them. They ripped through the set playing a number of raw, energetic songs mixed with a few less aggressive more melodically sounding tracks. Songs such as Silver and Gold, Young Believers and Animals all had a certain sharpness and jaggedness to them. A band who were pushing their boundaries to see what they could accomplish. The band them selves had a small following at the front of the stage who whooped and yelled throughout their set. During one particular number Guitarist Jim tried a spot of stage diving, only to end up arse over tit on the stage floor. He had tried (and failed) to launch himself furiously into a heavy riff only for his sense of balance to go awol! Gravity took over and down he went. He emerged from the floor a few seconds later, looking rather confused and disorientated. Still clutching his guitar ready to rejoin the song. Embrassed? He bloody well should be!!! The Duels ended their set with debut single Potential Future. The band embarking on a journey to see what the future may hold (or something like that). This is definitely a band to keep tabs on this year!!