MUSIC
-----------------------------------------Kaiser Chiefs, live at Brixton Academy
-----------------------------------------
Toni Butler-Williamson
-----------------------------------------
With a string of 'Best Live Band' awards under their stylish belts, you know that you won't go home from a Kaiser Chiefs concert feeling disappointed.
They kicked off Carling Live 24 with a blistering set, opening with a superb rendition of 'Everyday I Love You Less and Less', before storming into the crowd pleasing 'Saturday Night'. The crowd were treated to three new songs, though Channel 4 (who were filming the concert) viewers were denied this pleasure as lead singer Ricky Wilson demanded that the camera crew turn their equipment off, though he then encouraged fans to record the new tracks onto their mobile phones.
The new, as yet untitled songs themselves were excellent, full of the same bouncy energy that has made Kaiser Chiefs one of the most popular bands in Britain. Although they seem to have been touring for months, the wear isn't showing one bit. If anything, it's given their stage show a tight and professional finish, without compromising on passion or enthusiasm.
Ricky certainly isn't showing signs of tiredness - he bounced around the stage all night like an over-excited school boy, and seemed genuinely moved by the response to the new material, saying: "Thanks to you fans, we plan on being the Kaiser Chiefs for a lot longer". They then stormed into their biggest hit so far, 'I Predict a Riot', and even the critics in the audience would have had to admit that the band know how to get the audience going.
With such a powerful opening, it would have been easy to forgive them if they slowed down towards the end, but they didn't. The set built up magnificently, the crescendo coming in the encore, when the crowd roared along to 'Oh My God' for almost five minutes.
They seem to attract the sort of following that normally comes after a few years of hits, but despite only becoming well known in the past 12 months, they already have the kind of fans that turn up hours before the doors open.
It's easy to see how they can command that level of interest, with punchy indie pop songs and seemingly limitless energy on stage, it's hard not to get swept away by them, and they certainly set a tough act to follow for the rest of the Carling Live 24 bands.
They kicked off Carling Live 24 with a blistering set, opening with a superb rendition of 'Everyday I Love You Less and Less', before storming into the crowd pleasing 'Saturday Night'. The crowd were treated to three new songs, though Channel 4 (who were filming the concert) viewers were denied this pleasure as lead singer Ricky Wilson demanded that the camera crew turn their equipment off, though he then encouraged fans to record the new tracks onto their mobile phones.
The new, as yet untitled songs themselves were excellent, full of the same bouncy energy that has made Kaiser Chiefs one of the most popular bands in Britain. Although they seem to have been touring for months, the wear isn't showing one bit. If anything, it's given their stage show a tight and professional finish, without compromising on passion or enthusiasm.
Ricky certainly isn't showing signs of tiredness - he bounced around the stage all night like an over-excited school boy, and seemed genuinely moved by the response to the new material, saying: "Thanks to you fans, we plan on being the Kaiser Chiefs for a lot longer". They then stormed into their biggest hit so far, 'I Predict a Riot', and even the critics in the audience would have had to admit that the band know how to get the audience going.
With such a powerful opening, it would have been easy to forgive them if they slowed down towards the end, but they didn't. The set built up magnificently, the crescendo coming in the encore, when the crowd roared along to 'Oh My God' for almost five minutes.
They seem to attract the sort of following that normally comes after a few years of hits, but despite only becoming well known in the past 12 months, they already have the kind of fans that turn up hours before the doors open.
It's easy to see how they can command that level of interest, with punchy indie pop songs and seemingly limitless energy on stage, it's hard not to get swept away by them, and they certainly set a tough act to follow for the rest of the Carling Live 24 bands.
