Kaiser Chiefs
Supported by ‘Heavy Ball’ and ‘Night Engine’.
Friday 15thFebruary 2013, O2 Apollo, Manchester
I took a much needed night off this week to go and see one of my favourite bands live in Manchester. Amazingly, considering they are in my top ten favourite bands of all time, this is only the second time I’ve seen them live, after a brilliant performance in Kirkstall Abbey a couple of years ago (where I saw them the night that didn’t include ‘Spector’ sadly, a wrong I’ve since righted).
Getting to the gig was simpler than I’d imagined and, having waited in a considerable queue to get in, entry was surprisingly swift and the venue pretty large and well-kept, and I was able to get a pretty good view from behind the FOH to see the band and the two supports. A can, yes can, of Gaymers, which broke my extended sober-January resolution, cost a wallet-bashing £3.90 but I only had one so no major issues there.
Opening support ‘Heavy Ball’ were a very strong opener and the better of the two. The ska-rock band delivered a selection of great, instantly catchy tunes, alongside a brilliant cover of the classic ‘Smalltown Boy’ and their own similarly-titled but different sounding ‘Smalltown Hero’. Their ska sound was very much welcomed by my ears and though the sound mix meant their between-song banter wasn’t understandable, their music made for it with their vocal harmonies and great crowd-engaging closer ‘Wanted’ ticking all the boxes. I enjoyed it so much I’ve download their EP, available from iTunes, Amazon and other purveyors of digital music.
Second support was ‘Night Engine’, a mis-matchingly dressed band with a distinctly eighties sound. Their opening number ‘Lick Me Up’ was an incredibly catchy opener immediately warming the crowd to them, it’s just a shame the songs that followed it, though fun, merged into one another and lacked the spark displayed in the first. The last couple of songs, though, went someway to re-capture that magic with the repeating ‘baby’ hook of the latter (“Treat Me Like A Baby”) grabbing the crowd. A great start and end to a set but not as fun to hear as the first. Downloaded ‘Treat Me Like A Baby’ though, available on Amazon.
Not long after they left the stage the Kaiser Chiefs came on, flickering lights ufo-like above them signalling their arrival in front of the audience, very much setting a great mood. With that the curtain literally fell and the band were on, bursting into a spirited rendition of ‘Thank You Very Much’. The sound quality of the band was spot-on after being OK for the supports but it was the lighting showcased throughout the gig that really sold the venue for me, capturing the spirit of the gig perfectly, alongside the energy of Ricky Wilson as a great frontman, often jumping up to a special block within the audience to really connect with the fans.
The opening numbers – though containing none of their “big hits” – proved they didn’t need them as the energy was vibrant and the songs delivered perfectly, with new drummer Vijay Mistry slotting in perfectly to the band, even if his appearance in the band was never really introduced to the audience. ‘Kinda Girl You Are’ and ‘Everything Is Average Nowadays’ set the mood and ‘Little Shocks’, a single that was received with mixed reviews, gained a new life live. ‘Like It Too Much’ joined ‘Good Days Bad Days’ as an ‘Off With The Heads’ double-act, in a set that covered the albums well even if the most recent album was sadly unrepresented, with only three of the twenty-three tunes present; even though the big ones were included something extra like ‘Problem Solved’ would have been welcome, but I have very little complaints about the songs served up by the band as it was pretty much the perfect set-list.
Their breakthrough hit ‘Everyday I Love You Less and Less’ brought the crowd into song, in possibly one of the most singable gigs I’ve been to. ‘Born To Be A Dancer’ was resurrected from their debut album – complete with a few more explicit lyrics than we’re used to – and was brilliant to hear live before ‘Modern Way’ continued the set.
New track ‘Living Underground’ followed and even on first listen felt to be a strong contender for a sequel, and if it wasn’t penned by the original line-up of the team I don’t think there are any immediate worries about life for the band after the departure of chief songwriter (and drummer) Nick Hodgson. Immediately catchy, I see it being a live-favourite for the next tour.
My personal favourite ever Kaiser Chiefs track – ‘Heat Dies Down’ was played next and was very well received, as was a rockier, more electronic, faster version of ‘Love’s Not A Competition (But I’m Winning)’.
As the set neared its conclusion the big hitters started to come out, all well performed live, from ‘Never Miss A Beat’ to ‘Ruby’, before which a second curtain fell to reveal the huge ‘Souvenir’-rock backdrop, then ‘I Predict A Riot’ and finally ‘The Angry Mob’, which boasted an extended second half which was the chance for band, sound, lighting and crowd all to come together and experience a brilliant rendition, with the breakdown middle really adding to the impact.
As is customary on these occasions the band left the stage before returning a few minutes later to give us a three-song encore, including new song ‘Saying Goodbye’, a ballad sung by electric candle-light-out and, though on first listen, sounded great and sounds like a cracking album closer. They followed this with a spirit and thoroughly enjoyable cover of the Stranglers’ classic ‘No More Heroes’ and then the last of their big hits ‘Oh My God’ before the crowds dissipated and I went to retrieve my bag from the cloakroom in the most ill-planned location with the queue obstructing an exit.
Overall, it was another fantastic set from the Kaiser Chiefs, which was both lit fantastically and sounded great and was practically the perfect playlist. The new songs slotted in fine and sound promising and Wilson’s acrobatics and timing with a tambourine throughout the performance was something to behold. The only bugbear I had – which was mirrored by a few people I heard as exited – was that an hour for the main set and twelve or so minutes for the encore, the set was quite short. That said, what we did get was brilliant, with some enjoyable support acts too, and I look forward to seeing them in September again at the new Leeds Arena.
Setlist
Thank You Very Much
Kinda Girl You Are
Everything Is Average Nowadays
Little Shocks
Like It Too Much
Good Days, Bad Days
Everyday I Love You Less and Less
Born To Be A Dancer
Modern Way
Living Underground (New Track)
Heat Dies Down
Love’s Not A Competition (But I’m Winning)
Never Miss A Beat
Ruby
I Predict A Riot
The Angry Mob
- Encore –
Saying Goodbye (New Song)
No More Heroes (The Stranglers Cover)
Oh My God
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