ARTIST · INDIE / ROCK

Kaiser Chiefs

Brass stabs and terrace chants—Yorkshire guitars with pop science marks.

Indie rock
Post-punk revival

Updated 27 October 2026

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Biography

Ricky Wilson's theatricality pairs with Nick Baines' keyboards for radio-ready Brit rock.

Employment (2005) packaged riotous singles and festival singalongs.

Later albums toy with synth colour without losing chant instincts.

Lossless streams keep horn punches, tambourine rattle, and vocal stacks vivid.

Kaiser Chiefs took their name from Kaizer Chiefs, the South African football club once connected to Leeds United player Lucas Radebe. Ricky Wilson, Andrew White, Simon Rix, Nick Hodgson, and Nick Baines wrote catchy songs, and Employment (2005) included Oh My God and Modern Way.

Yours Truly, Angry Mob (2007) followed, and The Future Is Medieval (2011) let fans pick tracks to assemble their own album online. Hodgson left in 2012. Wilson joined The Voice UK as a coach, and Kaiser Chiefs’ Easy Eighth Album arrived in 2024.

Interesting facts about Kaiser Chiefs

01 English indie rock band formed in Leeds in 2000.
02 Employment (2005) included I Predict a Riot and Everyday I Love You Less and Less.
03 Won Brit Awards including Best British Group in 2006.
04 Named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs.
05 The Future Is Medieval let fans build their own version of the album online.