Smashing Mag / Kaiser Chiefs @ Liquidroom Ebisu : (24th Jan.'06)

Kaiser Chiefs @ Liquidroom Ebisu (24th Jan '06)

Kaisers show who's Chief
A cold Tuesday night in January and the attire of choice amongst the locals turned out to be a t-shirt and a wooly hat! Aztec Camera blared out in what was to be one of many flashbacks to the 80's as The Cribs came on for their crowd-warmer. The crowd was a mix of locals and a wide age range of British-looking characters and was a little more geeky than your typical gig crowd, with a few of them looking like they might have been fairly old the first time the 80's came around, but they had no problem jumping up and down to a well-received lively introduction set. The Cribs sounded a little bit like the Cure in stereo, with the bass player and guitarist splitting singing duties as their powerful set progressed with little let-up in the energy level. A lively final crescendo culminated with the singer demonstrating that it is indeed possible to crowd-surf off the stage and back again without dropping your cigarette. Lights dimmed and I wondered whether the Chiefs would perform with the same energy they performed with in front of an audience of 2 million at Live 8 USA last summer? I needn't have worried. It's the 80's again as Dire Straits booms from the speakers and they're on. Halfway through the second song "Saturday Night" and the audience is still bouncing en masse, wooly hats flying everywhere. They may dress like poor students but they certainly know how to put on a performance. Lead singer Ricky Wilson, tambourine in hand, displayed a natural showmanship with the antics including a "fake power cut" putting the stage in total darkness after the intro of "less and less", with normal service resuming after about twenty seconds with the power turned up to eleven. Their raw energy and talented songwriting was appealing to all present whatever their age. It was like the 80's all over again. But with better music. "I predict a riot" nearly caused one. This was party music at it's best and certainly undeserving of the "indie shit" label thrown at them recently by Noel Gallagher, doubtless now jealous of their six NME music award nominations. Their songs showcased their full range of musical talents with wooly-hatted guitarist and former Yorkshire BMX champion Andrew "Whitey" White showing particular dexterity with his economical and perfectly timed guitar playing. Some audience participation in "Oh my god" and the band are finished, only to be back on again a few minutes later for a rousing encore of "na na na na naa". Soaked in the crowds appreciation they wandered offstage as I pondered how wrong I had been to worry about their enthusiasm, and left with the feeling that the performance would have been exactly the same to an audience of two. They obviously love it, and are likely to have no shortage of listeners for many years to come. Kaiser Chiefs, I take my (wooly) hat off to you! The photos were taken on the 23rd @ the same venue...