Bad Feeling Podcast # 21 with Andrew White (Kaiser Chiefs)

After selling millions of albums worldwide, and packing in stadiums and festival fields every summer in Europe, UK’s Kaiser Chiefs got a bit lazy.

“It’s just easy to tour and do the festival cycle in Europe, and you just do that, make a bit of money, then go make another record,” admits Kaiser Chiefs’ guitarist Andrew White, aka “Whitey,” in our recent phone interview. “It just got a bit easy. But now we’re a bit angrier and we’ve got stuff to sing about. There’s a lot going on in the world at the moment.”

That anger fueled the band’s last record, 2014’s politically-tinged Education, Education, Education and War, the band’s first without founding drummer (and primary songwriter) Nick Hodgson. With the band in a heavy transition period, things took a turn for the surreal when the band’s frontman Ricky Wilson took on his role as a judge on the UK version of The Voice, alongside will.i.am and Tom Jones.

“It was hard … the band nearly ceased to exist,” reveals White. “We pride ourselves on having punk sensibilities – do-it-yourself, “fuck the man,” that kind of thing, and The Voice is the man, in my opinion. It’s not how people should consume their music – it’s kind of shit karaoke I think. I think its an awful, awful program and it should disappear.”

We spoke to Whitey about the underdog feeling that still fuels the band today, his thoughts on the UK music industry, and the band’s current North American tour. Never one to mince words, check out our full podcast with Whitey here, or via the embedded media player at the top of the page. For all upcoming tour dates, visit http://www.kaiserchiefs.com/.

Kaiser Chiefs perform at Montreal’s Virgin Mobile Corona Theatre on May 16th, alongside Palma Violets, Public Access T.V., and Priory. Tickets are $30 + fees, available here. The show is also a part of Pitchfest, a week-long football-themed festival which includes a series of film screenings, art installations, and more. For more info vist pitchfest.ca. 

Kaiser Chiefs also hit Toronto’s Phoenix Concert Theatre on May 17th with Priory. Tickets are $25 + fees, available here.