More on: Kaiser Chiefs

Kaiser Chiefs are back with their third album this month, with current single 'Never Miss A Beat' the first taster.

We speak to man on the keys Peanut the day after this year's Q Awards - which saw the band win Best Live Act - where he tells us about new LP 'Off With Their Heads' and the lessons learned from last album 'Yours Truly Angry Mob'.

Congratulations on the Q Award! Did you make a night of it?
I was drunk by about 4 o'clock! I had to go out to dinner that night, so I was drunk, had to sober up, then go out again. It was a really good day. We were on the table next to Coldplay. They're loving our new record, which was very nice of them to say so! We met Meatloaf and David Gilmour - the Q Awards is always a good event.

The award was for best live act - seeing as your last tour was in 2007, it must be something to still be remembered for it come voting time.
Yeah, it was Christmas 2007, and then we had the festivals and Elland Road in May, which was quite a big deal for us and everybody really. We do leave a lasting impression when we play live, which is important. I think people underestimate the importance of blowing people away. We're on our third album, with the arena tour next year, and there's no intention of backing down. You want people to walk out of the gig and think that's the best gig I've seen in years.

What have you got planned for the 2009 arena tour?
It's a gig, and what we do everyday, so we can't pull a rabbit out of the hat at every gig. It would be ridiculous to try and surpass yourself every time. We've planned the stage sets, and things that will look good whether you're at the back or down the front. We plan it so everybody feels involved, so you don't feel like you've got a cheap seat.

What state of mind were you in as a band when you came to start the third album?
It started just before the European arena tour of last year. We came back from America to write new songs as we realised these would be the biggest dates we've done yet, and we didn't have any new songs to play, and that was a bit harsh on the fans - they deserved more than that. That's when we wrote 'Never Miss A Beat' and 'You Want History'. We met Mark Ronson last Summer, and he came to one of our Earl's Court shows just before Christmas. He was blown away by the show and said, right, if you guys are interested I'd like to work with you, when are you next recording? So that came about February/March time, went to the studio, did that with him, and it was only going to be an EP with three or four songs. It went so well, we decided to turn it into an album. That's how the writing came along - because 'Never Miss A Beat' and 'You Want History' had gone down so well, that gave us a real boost. The frame of mind was... it was quite urgent, because we didn't want to dwell on things and spend ages writing stuff.

Was there anything about 'Yours Truly Angry Mob' that you thought, we're not doing that again?
The album was kind of overshadowed by 'Ruby'. I mean, it was a massive success, it went to number one, the album went to number one, and it was great. But with 'Employment', there were lots of equal little songs, if you know what I mean - singles that were all as good as each other. It was number two in the charts a year after it came out - that sort of thing. It was ridiculous the way it went from strength to strength. On 'Yours Truly Angry Mob' we had 'Everything Is Average Nowadays' and 'Angry Mob', and they were great, but people were just interested in 'Ruby'. So it wasn't that we didn't want to write a popular song ever again, because that's what we do best, but we didn't want just one, massive stand-out single. So that's why on this album, there are a lot of potential singles.

Do you think there'll ever be a massive change of style for Kaiser Chiefs?
When we've finished touring this record, we're due a nice long break. I'm quite intrigued to see what we'll push ourselves to do next. I think we've got it in us to do something... not wacky, but pushing the boundaries a bit more from what people expect from Kaiser Chiefs. At the same time, we've got so many fans who love 'Everyday I Love You Less And Less', and 'I Predict A Riot', and you see everyone at the gigs dancing around, and it's brilliant, you know? You'd be a fool to want to throw that away. I think responsibility-wise you have to progress gradually. We're not going to turn into Radiohead! But by having a nice long break after this record, musically, we'll refresh ourselves a little bit.

What was the personal highlight for you when you were making 'Off With Their Heads'?
I think it's when you get to the mixing stage. It's difficult making a record, I mean you've got to have vision, and confidence in what you do, but the transformation when you get from rehearsals to near the finished product is fantastic. Like, you have no idea a song is going to come out so powerful, or have this groove to it. So when me and Nick [Hodgson] went over to New York to mix it, we realised it sounds like Kaiser Chiefs, but not like any other band at the moment. I think our writing style has always been unique. I think it sets us a good distance apart from the other "guitar" bands.

How has your relationship with your fans changed over the last few years?
We've still got the hardcore who go to nine out of ten shows, and we're still approachable and chat to them outside and backstage. So I think they feel we're still the same band, and we are - it's not like we're fooling them or tricking them, we're definitely the same people.

What do you get up to when you're not being a Kaiser Chief?
Well, I'm in my living room right now, looking at some pictures I've had framed. I've got a lot of old film cameras, so I'm putting together a collection of photos of people we meet. They look, even by my own standards, pretty impressive I must say! The new album's artwork, all the pictures inside are mine, so you can get a glimpse there, and they'll be on the new website. Because they're old film cameras they look great - they've got a quality you don't get with digital cameras. So I do that, and I've got a recording studio that I run with a friend from Leeds. So between that, and trying to do my washing and decorate my house, there's not much time left!

A chance for you to geek out now - did you get the chance to play with any new instruments on this album?
Yeah, I got to use a Farfisa, which is an old Italian organ. We put it through Whitey's amps, and got a really nice sound. That was for 'Tomato In The Rain', and quite a few things. It's got a really nice sound, like a growl, but not modern or digital - like a real grunt and noise to it. We had Dave, the studio chef, playing djembe drums on 'Good Day Bad Day' - a little spotlight for him!

Which of the tracks do you think your fans will be most surprised by?
'Like It Too Much', which we did on Jools Holland, so people have heard that. We had Dave Arnold do a string arrangement on it - it's not overblown, it's subtly done. I think people will be pleased we've taken a little step at that, but not drenched the album in strings. It's a song with a very different tempo for us. There's another one with Sway, the rapper. He's on 'Half The Truth', and it'll be a love/hate thing, I guarantee it! I think that'll cause a bit of discussion on the old forum!

Because you're so successful, does the inevitable backlash get to you at all?
Given that you've asked that, you know it's backlash for backlash's sake, you know? We're happy doing what we do, and if we start changing and adapting what we do, and say, and how we write, we wouldn't be true to ourselves. We'd be playing to the wrong audience. You read it sometimes, and think, there's no need to say that, and you realise the only reason they're doing it is because you're a big band. It gets these other bands noticed, and sells papers because they're having a go. It's a shame they don't realise there's a personal side to this as well. We've tried for so many years to be successful, and now we've got here, we could do without that crap really. We try not to get too involved in it!

'Off With Their Heads' is released on 20th October.

Becky Reed

Kaiser Chiefs Official Site
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