A pop band with a punk message
As iconic indie band Kaiser Chiefs gets ready to rock Malta, frontman Ricky Wilson tells Ramona Depares how music has to be born out of truth, with some added glitter and dirt.
Through the years, the band moved from quintessential Britpop to a more dancey sound. How did this progression happen? Were there any particular triggers?
We are currently recording our seventh album in 15 years. That might not seem like a lot; I mean it’s only about an hour of noise per two years, but a lot can change over that amount of time. There have probably been seven versions, or even eight if you count a rogue ‘best of’. A change can happen either gradually or in massive shifts, it’s kind of hard to define. So, the honest answer is I don’t know. There’s never been a plan, we just kind of make the noise we make until we don’t.
Is one sound more ‘Kaiser Chiefs’ than the other?
Maybe to the people who listen to our records, they’ll probably have a favourite one, depending on when they first heard us. That’s usually the way. My Pink Floyd is very different to Simon’s (Rix, bassist), because we listened to them in different orders.
Would you say that in today’s climate there is still space for a...