Kaiser Chiefs

I think I have now seen Kaiser Chiefs more often than I have seen any other band. I'm not sure why this should be. It surely can't be explained by the fact that Whitey is one of the few people on this planet who makes me look smart. Today he's kept to the spirit of the day and dressed as a gardener, complete with tatty overcoat - although, in a concession to summer, the beenie hat is absent. So, why, then?

First and foremost, it's because they are fun to watch. They know that they are a caricature of whatever a rock band is supposed to be. Why else would you fill your songs with 'lalala', 'woah' and other things that (to paraphrase Half Man Half Biscuit) show that you can't think of any more words? Why else have a giant neon 'KC' over the stage? Or have so much dry ice that it took ages to get even a half decent photo? Every time Ricky Wilson climbs the lighting rig or sprints from beneath one video screen to another, it is with a knowing grin that says "Who cares about credibility when you can have fun?". Which is great. Credibility is vastly overrated and always has been. Give me fun and talented bands over worthy dullards like U2 any day.

Also, this band don't seem to care that they are no longer music press darlings. They know that "...Angry Mob" works live, to the point where both "Ruby" and "Everything Is Average Nowadays" appear in the opening half of the set, whilst a B-side like "Take My Temperature" is the penultimate number, greeted every bit as rapturously as more familiar numbers. In all, it is a massive two fingers to everyone who said they were finished.