This is the start of "hype" week with installment one: The Kaiser Chiefs. A band that opened up for Franz Ferdinand and is now one of the new "IT" bands from the UK Indie circuit. Along with Bloc Party, this band is getting more press coverage everyday. The NME loves them, Filter devoted a 5 page photo spread on them, and the SXSW audience loved their performance.
To rev up the hype machine even more, the boys played a free instore gig at the Virgin Megastore in downtown S.F. The crowd was a good size, although not crazy large. The band was a little late arriving and they didn't start their set until around 6:30 despite the promised 6pm start time. They all dressed sharp! I have to give it to a band that dresses sharp. Ricky Wilson, the lead singer, was wearing a Penguin green polo shirt and a spiffy green and red striped boarding school jacket. Unfortunately for Ricky, he busted his ankle and was walking around with a cane like the guy from TSOOL.
Injuries aside, that didn't prevent Ricky from jumping up and down the stage during some of the songs. The band started off with "Oh My God" from their debut release Employment. They sounded great, despite the low sound quality of the speakers. After this song, Ricky commented on how The Incredibles were playing on the various TV screens while they were playing. Kind of surreal to see a band this good in an in-store but I consider myself lucky.
They also played "I Predict A Riot" and "Everyday I Love You Less and Less" which were stand out songs during their set. However, about midway through the set, Ricky's mic just fell mute and he had to scream his throat off to sing the remaining songs, one of which was a b-side that sounded great! If the mic was working, maybe I would have bought the CD single right then and there.
It's unfortunate that I had a conflict with their show at Slim's. However, this mini instore gig was definitely a good taster for their main show.
The hype is real for this band.
Beer Rating: 2.5 Beers
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