Having sold over 1 million singles and toured the world, Kaiser Chiefs will be performing with Everything Everything and Dizzee Rascal in Cardiff. Keyboard player Nick ‘Peanut’ Bairnes speaks with Luke Owain Boult about their upcoming gig and latest album.
“It’s different,” starts Peanut when asked about their new album Stay Together. “We’ve taken a different step and it feels good. I hate trying to describe music, but the energy on this record is infectious. It’s got dancefloor vibes, with big songs and big synths.” Parachute, so far the only single released from the upcoming album, indeed sounds different. In a similar vein to Coldplay’s, and a lot of older indie bands’, newer stuff, the song wouldn’t be at all out of place in some clubs, and is very much different from their earlier undeniably indie rock tracks like Oh My God, Ruby and I Predict A Riot.
The new record, and their sixth studio album, is set to be released in October and gets its name from the opening track We Stay Together. With the EU referendum dominating the news, what had inspired the song? “A lot of Ricky’s writing on this album is from the personal/political angle. No governments and social observation, but relationships. Something we can all relate to, and lyrically that’s where this song comes from.”
With this apparent change in sound, will they be performing many of their older songs when they come to Cardiff? “We’ll be playing plenty. We don’t shy away from playing our hits. We know they’re the songs that make us, so there’s no point in us being funny about it.”
The group will be playing on the first day of On The Pitch, sharing the stage with rapper Dizzee Rascal, art rockers Everything Everything, and support from Nature and Cardiff four-piece Tibet. Would this be the first time they’d shared a stage? “We had Everything Everything support us at a show last summer. They’re good guys and it’ll be nice to catch up with them again. I think we were on the same bill as Dizzee a few years ago at V. It’s going to be a great day down in Cardiff.” On the second day of On The Pitch, Simply Red will be performing, with support from singer-songwriters Ben Montague and Nathan Ball.
Kaiser Chiefs have a reputation for playing fantastically energetic live shows, having played with Foo Fighters, The Who, and even the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. Out of all the gigs, which had resonated with Peanut the most?
“Probably the first time we played Glastonbury in 2005. We’d been away around the world for most of the year. Every time we got news from home it was to say that our music and faces were everywhere. Walking out to 40,000 plus people in front of the pyramid stage in the afternoon sunshine at Glastonbury was the moment of realisation and the feeling was surreal. With every musician or musical hero that I get to meet, I kind of hope they’re going to be awesome and not a dick. I don’t think I’ve actually been too disappointed with anyone so far, although Ricky Wilson is little bit shorter than I thought he’d be.”
Lastly, did Peanut have a message for his fans in Wales before the gig? Peanut then naturally turns the conversation to football: “I’d probably say something cheeky about the football and the Euros, but, um, let’s see how the knockout stages go first. I’m clenching my teeth.”
Kaiser Chiefs, On The Pitch, The SSE SWALEC, Cardiff. Tickets: £45-£85. Info: 029 2040 9380 / www.glamorgancricket.co.uk