Kaiser Chiefs have shared their new single ‘How 2 Dance’ and given NME an update on their forthcoming new album – you can listen to the new track below.
The song, which was produced by former Rudimental member Amir Amor, is the first taste of the Leeds five-piece’s next LP, which will be the follow-up to July 2019’s ‘Duck’.
Speaking to NME this week, Kaisers frontman Ricky Wilson revealed that ‘How 2 Dance’ was inspired by sessions the band had last year with Nile Rodgers.
“Nile Rodgers is a force to be reckoned with,” Wilson said about working with the Chic musician. “He does make you think about dancing quite a lot! He’s an amazing man to write songs with.
“He has had an influence on us, because obviously he’s a great guy. We haven’t been going for as long as Nile [has], but the way he puts on a show still… we’re still doing that, and [Rodgers’ longevity has] made me think, ‘Well, we can carry on for as long as we want and be like Nile if we want to be.'”
Asked if any songs had materialised from the 2021 sessions with Rodgers, Wilson replied: “There’s a couple of songs that will be on the next record that Nile’s had quite a lot of influence on. He’s awesome to work with, because his enthusiasm is infectious.”
On the subject of Kaiser Chiefs’ new album, Wilson said that he’s hoping the band will finish their “album’s worth of songs” next month and that they’re aiming to release it in 2023.
“I think I have December to finish the record,” he said. “I guess we’ll have something early next year. But it’s so different than it used to be. It’s amazing: we don’t have any homework to hand in – it’s not like school. There’s no time limit, and I can do what I want. But I reckon I’d like to have a record out next year.
“We’re gonna make it easy on ourselves. It will be out when it’s brilliant. Like, label dates don’t matter any more. It’s really weird, because we’ve never really signed a [record] deal since our first deal: we just keep making records and someone puts them out. It’s just really cool to be a musician right now, because no-one’s telling you what to do. It’s fantastic: long may it last. No-one’s stopping us.”
As well as Rodgers, Kaiser Chiefs have also worked closely with producer Amor, who Wilson says “has been a revelation”.
“I met him through Nile. What Amir brings to it is the fact that [songwriting] shouldn’t be tough,” the singer told NME. “When we first started out we were doing it in our spare time, making sounds like ‘Oh My God’ and it was just us reacting to the world around us. It was kind of our hobby. Once it [becomes] your job and you get to your second record, and suddenly a lot more people are interested in monetising what you do, it becomes like, ‘Oh, shit, we’ve got to deliver something’.
“But what Amir reminded me was that we’re just saying what we feel through music and having a laugh doing it. And he makes it feel a lot easier than it’s ever been.”
Wilson continued: “We’re basically making a whole record together. [Amor’s] been a bit of a guru for us, because he goes, ‘You know what? You guys are really good, and it makes sense what you’re saying and writing’. It sounds like Kaiser Chiefs, because we don’t really know any different.
“I know we’ve travelled off-course in the past, because we’ve tried lots of things [on our past records]. Our first record [2005’s ‘Employment’] was brilliant because it was just us, and then our second record [2007’s ‘Yours Truly, Angry Mob’] was brilliant because we had to make a brilliant record. I think we then tried to capture it back on [2014’s] ‘Education, Education, Education & War’, where we were going round the houses.
“Amir’s just reminded us that all you have to do is just say what you see: it’s very simple. All you do is make music that makes you happy. We’re doing that again.”
Kaiser Chiefs kicked off their latest UK arena tour earlier this week, and they’ll play at London’s The O2 tomorrow night (November 5). Wilson told NME that the band are intent on making this tour even “bigger and better” than their previous jaunt.
“When you get to our level it’s weird because all I care about, and I was saying this to [bassist] Simon Rix, is that it has to be better than the last tour – and the last tour was amazing. So we just have to make it bigger and better, and it’s quite the achievement to do that. But I don’t think we’re gonna disappoint anyone. Every time we have to come up with a tour at this level, it’s not just setting up guitars, drums, bass on-stage. There’s an element of theatre to it. It’s looking good, and it’s sounding good.”
Asked if the band are keen to remind themselves not to take their arena-touring status for granted, Wilson replied: “I think that’s the important thing to remember. We never set out to play arenas. When I was going to see bands, the best and the biggest thing you could ever be was playing Town and Country Club in Leeds [now O2 Academy Leeds]. And it was amazing seeing Supergrass playing there, and that was as big as a band could ever be [to me]. I can remember seeing Gaz Coombes pointing at me when I was on my friend Barry’s shoulders and thinking, ‘This is the best moment of my life’.
“So every time we go on tour, I try and recapture that spirit. That’s what I want: I want to be on Barry’s shoulders again, watching Gaz Coombes sing ‘Alright’ at me and it feeling like it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. That the feeling I’m trying to recapture every time we go on tour.”
Kaiser Chiefs’ UK arena tour continues tomorrow at London’s The O2. You can see the band’s upcoming live dates below, and find any remaining tickets here.
NOVEMBER 2022
5 – The O2, London
7 – O2 City Hall, Newcastle
8 – Bonus Arena, Hull
10 – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool
11 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow
12 – First Direct Arena, Leeds
14 – Centre, Brighton
15 – Pavilions, Plymouth
17 – International Centre, Bournemouth
18 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham
19 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham