Music Editor Hannah Gadd attends the closing night of the ‘More Employment’ Tour, describing Kaiser Chiefs’ performance as ‘flawlessly fun’
On Saturday night, Kaiser Chiefs closed out their More Employment tour with an electric sold-out show at The Halls in Wolverhampton. Around the venue, fans were in high-spirits, eager to hear the band’s debut album Employment in full, celebrating twenty years since its initial release.
Manchester-based band Corella kicked off the night, the crowd instantly warming to their infectious indie-rock tunes. Their set was the perfect opening to the evening and I can confidently say they will have picked up plenty of new fans from this tour, myself included.
Front-man Ricky Wilson rocketed around the stage with unbounded energy, captivating the audience with his every move.
It wasn’t long until Kaiser Chiefs walked on stage to Was (Not Was)’s ‘Walk the Dinosaur’, welcomed by a rapturous applause. Playing Employment in order, ‘Everyday I Love You Less and Less’ opened their set, hands instantly flying into the air as the crowd sang along at top-volume. Wasting no time, the band dived into their hit song ‘I Predict a Riot’; the on-stage visuals featured the slogan ‘I predict a right to protest’ nodding to the tour’s partnership with Amnesty International. Front-man Ricky Wilson rocketed around the stage with unbounded energy, captivating the audience with his every move.
As they worked through the album, the band demonstrated pristine musicianship forged from over twenty years in the industry. The stage in itself was a spectacle to behold; quirky illustrations and animations filled the screens behind the band, providing an additional element of fun and whimsicality. ‘Oh My God’ was an inevitable highlight of the show, fans singing the chant-like chorus back at the band with charged intensity.
‘It’s a Saturday night so you can lose your voices tonight’, Wilson exclaimed before adding, ‘It’s also the last night of the tour so I can lose mine!’
‘It’s a Saturday night so you can lose your voices tonight’, Wilson exclaimed before adding, ‘It’s also the last night of the tour so I can lose mine!’ The Wolverhampton crowd embraced every last bit of this sentiment, giving it their all from start to finish. ‘Born to Be a Dancer’ and ‘Team Mate’ kept the pace up and the energy did not falter even as the band drew closer to the album’s end. ‘Take My Temperature’ closed out their Employment set and left the crowd hungry for more.
As the band left the stage, a video began to play on the screens featuring the band in a Jurassic Park inspired retro video game before they returned to the stage to the sound of John William’s ‘Theme From Jurassic Park’. Wilson announced that this show was the last with a long-term member of their crew, Chris, who they invited on stage to perform with them. After humorously explaining that the screen showed an image of the Rovers Return because Chris liked Coronation Street, they delivered an impressive cover of The Ramones’ ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’.
The band commanded the crowd impeccably with their gritty hooks and tight melodies and the energy in the venue was palpable.
The rest of their set was made up of some of the band’s biggest hits including the explosive ‘Never Miss a Beat’. The band commanded the crowd impeccably with their gritty hooks and tight melodies and the energy in the venue was palpable. Introducing the next track, Wilson remarked, ‘I had someone email me asking for a birthday shoutout but I can’t remember her name…’ just as the iconic opening riff of ‘Ruby’ blasted through The Halls. Finally, ‘The Angry Mob’ closed out the show, ending the entire tour on an electric high.
Ultimately, it’s safe to say that the Kaiser Chiefs are still at the top of their game even twenty years after the release of their debut album. The band is beyond capable of putting on a flawlessly fun and unforgettable live performance and I look forward to catching them live again sometime in the future.
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