Reviewing the Kaiser Chiefs

I have just written my first review for Louder Than War, thanks to Mel Smith of Mudkiss Photography. She was one of the founders of the wonderful Mudkiss website,and has recently stepped away from that to concentrate on photography. She's talented, motivated, keeps up a demanding day job and passionate about what she does.An essential combination in the world of the music business. The snow fell for the first time this winter in Manchester last night. Just when we thought spring was on its way. I had to walk from Fallowfield into the city centre as an accident had disrupted bus services. Plenty of time to think about what I was expecting from the gig. The Kaiser Chiefs at Gorilla. My attitude to the Kaiser Chiefs has been ambivalent until now. I came across them at about the same time as Franz Ferdinand came on the scene. All that First World War association. A lot of history. A lot to live up to. I couldn't quite reconcile the Kaiser Chiefs pop persona with their political lyrics. Ricky Wilson looked like a naughty schoolboy, an impression reinforced by the fact that one of my friends had been at school with him in Leeds. Then Ricky Wilson turned up as a coach on the Voice. Looking slimmer, very confident, holding his own with very experienced fellow coaches. When I knew I would be reviewing this gig, I did some homework. The Kaiser Chiefs have been around a surprisingly long time. They have built a strong following. They have survived being dropped by their first record label. They have coped with one of the founder members leaving. Most of the band have known one another since school. That's a long time and a lot of growing up together. Ricky Wilson's decision to do the Voice could have been seen as a career move on a par with going on some celebrity reality show. And then the venue. In Manchester at Gorilla. Gorilla is probably the closest to a stripped down old style club you could find. Underneath the arches of Oxford Road station, it has a great atmosphere. It's set me off analysing words. The band's lyrics - take alook at their album titles and songs. It's all fighting talk, referencing war, disaffection and conflict without being unpleasantly aggressive . So we have Gorilla with its link to Guerilla. A sold out gig - there are two meanings there. Over the top can be taken two ways. Even their new album Education, Education, Education and War references Tony Blair's 2005 speech. Angry Mob, I Predict a Riot, Cannons, Coming Home, ' we the people created equal'. There are some powerful messages there. They played old favourites and new songs. The audience were there to have a great time - a golden ticket for a fan. A band full of confidence and experience playing a small venue. Someone on the bus remarked that it was a step down from arenas. Quite the reverse. It was a chance to break down the barricades. Ricky Wilson worked the room, moving through the crowd to climb the scaffolding to the balcony, sharing beer and phone photos.He's a fantastic front man. I have never seen a band apologise for getting too comfortable. He talked about getting the hunger back. He certainly has a lean and hungry look nowadays and it suits him. Even the security man was impressed. I am working with stories from the First World War every day at the moment. I had a vision of them as a band of Pals, surviving and thriving, looking out for one another, taking their inspiration from past conflicts and present tensions. I'm a new fan. And it seems fitting that my first review for Louder Than War is this band. Music as instrument for change. http://louderthanwar.com/ http://www.mudkissphotography.co.uk/#/ http://www.mudkiss.com/ http://www.kaiserchiefs.com/