Electric Proms 2007 - Kaiser Chiefs with David Arnold

Written by Nicki Tibballs | Tuesday, October 30, 2007 |

Anticipation fills the air in Camden’s legendary venue. All week, various musical acts have been putting on shows in ways that they’re perhaps not accustomed to. On Wednesday, Mark Ronson performed with several special guests including Sean Lennon and Terry Hall, and last night fans got to watch Sir Paul McCartney in an intimate (save for the TV cameras) venue. Tonight it’s the turn of five lads from Leeds who, despite selling millions of records and performing on the US leg of Live 8, are possibly facing the biggest challenge of their career so far.

Frequently criticised for being too catchy, or too cheeky, or just generally being too good at writing pop songs for a rock band, Kaiser Chiefs are doing something that few rock bands would feel comfortable doing: teaming up with composer David Arnold and a full orchestra. Not a combination you immediately think of when you hear ‘I Predict A Riot’.

Drummer and chief songwriter Nick Hodgson opens the show by singing album track ‘Boxing Champ’. It’s an unlikely opener - just Hodgson singing and playing piano, but the acoustics in the venue are excellent and the crowd seem stunned into silence. The piano is removed and Nick is joined onstage by the rest of his bandmates before playing the beautiful ‘Love’s Not A Competiton (But I’m Winning)’. Two slow songs to start a set is a brave move indeed, and when they play third track ‘Modern Way’ with the full orchestra, you know that tonight is a very special show indeed.

‘Everyday I Love You Less And Less’ proves that the band definitely haven’t forgotten how to put on a rock show, and a surprise cover of Paul McCartney’s ‘Jet’ goes down a storm with the crowd. Ricky Wilson bravely/foolishly (delete as applicable) climbs onto the barrier during ‘Everything Is Average Nowadays’ and very nearly gets dragged in by overeager fans. As well as a mass singalong, we also get the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain onstage for ‘Ruby’ and oddly it’s a combination that works very well. However, Kaiser Chiefs haven’t run out of surprises yet. During ‘The Angry Mob’, they are joined by drummers from the Dhol Foundation, and at the end of set closer ‘Oh My God’, they effortlessly segue into an instrumental version of ‘Land Of Hope And Glory’.

With this show Kaiser Chiefs have undoubtedly proven that, as well as being able to write great songs, they aren’t afraid to take risks. While they’re unlikely to take an orchestra on tour with them in December, we know and they know what they’re capable of. And I’m sure they’ll find more boundaries to break before long.

Roundhouse -26th October 2007

Kaiser Chiefs Website

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