first big break
kaiser chief image Kaiser Chiefs
The Kaiser Chiefs' story begins some time before they decided to name themselves after a successful South African football team.

School friends Simon Rix (bass), ‘Peanut’ Baines (keyboards) and Nick Hodgson (drums and vocals) had been playing together in various bands since the age of 15 before spying art school graduate, Ricky Wilson (lead vocals), singing with a Rolling Stones tribute band.

When Kaiser Chiefs formed up in Leeds around the summer of 2003, their aim was not to conquer stadiums and change the world but just to get an early slot at their hometown Leeds Festival.

They wrote songs that could only have been written by observing the peculiarities of life in Northern England. All their demos and early-recorded releases were all produced in Nick’s bedroom.

Their big break came when the first self-financed single, on UK indie label DrownedinSound, 'Oh My God' made number 66 in the British charts despite the fact it was a limited release. 'I Predict A Riot', their first proper release after signing to another UK indie, B-Unique, shot straight to the fringes of the UK Top 20.

Now the boys have gatecrashed the UK singles charts, played to huge crowds as far away as Moscow, had triumphant support slots with Franz Ferdinand, made waves at US radio and signed to Universal Records.