UK indie icons Kaiser Chiefs return to Australia this November celebrating 20 years of Employment.
The Leeds five-piece will embark on their first Australian tour since 2012, marking two decades since their seminal debut album Employment transformed them into arena headliners. Kaiser Chiefs last graced Australian stages at Splendour in the Grass, delivering an explosive performance that remains etched in festival folklore.
Employment stands as one of the most successful UK debut albums ever released, peaking at number two on the British charts and spending over 17 months in the top 40. The record spawned massive hits including I Predict A Riot, Oh My God, Everyday I Love You Less And Less, and Modern Way, catapulting the band into the music world’s stratosphere. With over 2.1 million copies sold and seven-times platinum certification, Employment soundtracked the mid-2000s indie explosion.
Kaiser Chiefs Australian tour
- RAC Arena, Perth – Sunday 23 November
- Festival Hall, Melbourne – Tuesday 25 November
- Hordern Pavilion, Sydney – Thursday 27 November
- Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane – Friday 28 November
Check out our gig guide, our festival guide, our live music venue guide and our nightclub guide. Follow us on Instagram here.
Fronted by charismatic vocalist Ricky Wilson alongside Simon Rix, Andrew White, Nick Baines and Vijay Mistry, Kaiser Chiefs have released eight studio albums, scored nine top 40 singles including the number one hit Ruby, and collected three Brit Awards. The band has shared stages with U2, Foo Fighters and Green Day while selling over eight million albums worldwide.
Mastercard and artist presales commence Friday 27 June at 11am, with general tickets available Tuesday 1 July at 12pm local time. Secret Sounds handles the tour presentation, supported by Double J.
“There’s a fine line between a good gig and a true performance, and it’s a craft the Kaiser Chiefs have mastered over the years,” Callum Fitzpatrick wrote for us, about their last gig (at The Palace, no less).
“Tonight’s visit to a surprisingly modest turnout at The Palace showed the band ticking all the boxes – delivering enough false endings, climbing crescendos and sing-along choruses to satisfy a spoilt six-year-old’s attention span. Here for Groovin’ The Moo, the show also bounced off the release of Souvenir: The Singles 2004-2012. Fittingly, the Chiefs did what was expected and secretly hoped for, treating The Palace’s pleased punters to a healthy spread of tunes that spanned all four of their anthem-laden albums.
“Lead singer Ricky Wilson assumed his trusty position perched atop a stage monitor as he addressed his congregation, blasting straight into an energetic Na Na Na Na Naa and taking us on a tour through their extensive hit factory, with Every Day I Love You Less and Less, I Predict a Riot, Ruby and Everything is Average Nowadays all on top form. It was a true exhibition of showmanship orchestrated by the front man, who leapt around the stage and completely carried the show with his microphone flicks, tambourine tricks and witty banter in-between songs.
“Unsurprisingly, it was a set list that needed an athletic stamina, and the Leeds lads took it in their stride. However, at one point, Ricky disappeared off stage to let the band jam as he recovered his breath, after which, a fatigued version of Never Miss a Beat ensued. This was a concerning moment, but just as you thought he’d run out of steam and it was going to be last orders for us all, Ricky raced through the crowd, clambered onto the bar, demanded a shot of Jack Daniels and soared into a version of the punky Take My Temperature from his new lookout across the stalls. What were we worried about really?
“The boys’ latest effort, Listen to Your Head, is definitely a grower, and tonight proved that as with many of the band’s tunes, the live setting is the best medium for it. Throw in an encore of Love’s Not a Competition but I’m Winning and a trip back to where it all began, with debut single Oh My God capping off proceedings, and you’ve got yourself a fine illustration of a band that don’t look like slowing down any time soon.”
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