Indie
Live Review: Kaiser Chiefs prove they've still got it as the More Employment anniversary tour hits up Cambridge
Kaiser Chiefs put on a nostalgia-filled show at Cambridge Corn Exchange.
Kaiser Chiefs delivered a night of nostalgic indie-rock sing-alongs when they returned to Cambridge as part of their More Employment anniversary tour.
Performing their 2005-released debut album in full at the Corn Exchange, the era-defining band were on top form throughout the throwback-filled hour-and-a-half show.
Arriving on stage after a purposefully lo-fi animated intro video, the sound of John Williams’ Theme From Jurassic Park and Was (Not Was)’s instantly recognisable Walk the Dinosaur proved the group wasn’t afraid to poke fun at themselves for being in or close to their 50s.
Led by entertainingly self-deprecating frontman Ricky Wilson, they went on to storm through the titular LP in the order of its tracklist.
The synth-led Everyday I Love You Less and Less and rowdy I Predict a Riot kicked things off in energetic fashion; the latter, paired with protest footage, made sense given the earlier on‑screen appeal for donations to Amnesty International.
Amid archive videos from their early days and wacky visuals (“attack of the punk pigeons” is one example that still sticks out), their strobe-enhanced noughties classics were given a rockier edge.
Wilson and co had great fun riffing off the endlessly replayable chorus of Oh My God, getting the eager audience to take the lead.
Pleasingly, the band later made time to play some of the most iconic smashes from their wider discography, resulting in an encore packed with greatest hits: the stadium-sized Ruby followed a pulsing Never Miss A Beat, which was, naturally, accompanied by cats shooting lasers out of their eyes (on screen, of course).
By the end of a 20-song set, it was clear that Kaiser Chiefs remain at the top of their game.
Rating: 4.5/5
