The Power Of Love – Kaiser Chiefs

A whole week of Kaiser Chiefs may not have had the popularity of a whole week of Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath or The Who. For some of you it may have felt like mean old mister SteveForTheDeaf locked you children out of the magical garden (that is his website) and as you watched from the other side of the castle walls snow began to fall unseasonably deep and heavy on your playground. All the while Mean Mr Stevemiser insisted on banging on about a band you don’t care about. So before you, Dear Reader arrive swept along by the mob bearing pitchforks and torches hopelessly saying things like “He doesn’t know what he’s doing” “Don’t hurt him” unheard in the melee as they storm the gates (you are very much the Winona Ryder in this metaphor and I the Edward Sycophants) let us draw proceedings to a close.

Seven Days of one Indie Pop Band. We swerved I Predict A Riot, Ruby, Coming Come, Everyday I Love You Less And Less. All massive bangers. We’re chronologically skipping the Duck era ever so slightly (unless we’re still in the Duck era) where they released a seventh album, played a huge stadium headline show at Elland Road (Leeds United FC’s stadium) with a festivals worth of support bands and special guests but I can’t resist Record Collection Trivia so

Duck was preceded by a single called Record Collection (In a classic No Ducks Given KC way the video intro contains a gag about an 80’s kids TV show that will fall flat internationally and generationally for younger fans) but they had already been involved in a song of the same name when erstwhile drummer Peanut (real name Nick Hodgson) had written a track with Mark Ronson (who produced their first full on pop record Never Miss A Beat) for his album The Business International.

Annnnny hoot. Duck is a record that cares not a jot for fashion, musical trends, street cool or anything other than being fun. It starts with a bonkers chant along single People Know How To Love One Another and ends with a frothy bit of 90’s nostalgia imagining a crossover boxing match of Kurt Cobain and Fraiser Crane in the deftly titled Kurt Vs Frasier (The Battle For Seattle).

If this week has felt like musical lock down let the final post be a study in how Ricky, Vijay, Nick, Simon and Andrew coped with not going out. You know what they did? They goofed about.

They started out by covering themselves. The famous chorus of touring life anthem Oh My God got turned around and it’s boots swapped for slippers.

They released a legitimate Halloween single in Zombie Prom. Not since The Automatic did Monster or Alice Cooper did Feed My Frankenstein has anyone tried to compete with Thriller, The Monster Mash and the Theme From The Addams Family concerning the legitimate Family Friendly Halloween playlist stakes. They even changed their name for the seasonal single. Kaiser Freaks video has that now recognisable five way screen split from OMG (SHE) and all the online content they’ve posted since the sun went out. While they can’t leave the house, they can get the fun to us in this sort of zoom for rock bands format we’ve all become used to. So far so 2 Minutes To Late Night.

What I’m saying is KC’s have positioned themselves so they look like one of the bands who appeared on The Young Ones only two generations later when reality in some ways resembles the show itself. You know they’d have been a guest spot on The Muppet Show if the stars had aligned that way or that they’d have got in line behind Supergrass to have Spielberg make a series about them based on the old The Monkees TV show. To be honest I’m kind of disappointed to see they don’t all live in one big knocked through house like The Beatles in Help!

But we’re finishing this ramble on a power move. A Power Of Love Move. In a very SteveForTheDeaf type way Kaiser Chiefs were looking to have a lark and while on an iffy Zoom Call connection suggested to one another

“For our next online video, why don’t we cover The Power Of Love?” – Simon Rix, Bass Player

“From the 80’s?” – Ricky Wilson, Singer

“I love Back To The Future!” – Andrew White, Guitarist

“Are you on mute?” – Vijay Mistry, Drummer

“What?” – Ricky

“Sounds back. I Can Hear You Now.” – Vijay

“So the Jennifer Rush one yeah?” – Nick

“Sorry Nick, you’ve gone now, I’ve lost you.” – Simon

“Is someone eating crisps?” – Andrew

“Shall we all wear Frankie Says Relax T-shirts” – Vijay

“You’re on MUTE!” – Everyone

“Learn your parts, we record tomorrow” – Ricky

The Host has ended the meeting. *How was the quality of your completely hypothetically imagined call?* One Star.

Obviously the idea was liked. Even though the sign posted opportunity for sit com style comedic misunderstandings stares the whole concept down from the off. I can’t help but think it could have got as far as rehearsals before Nick is playing Jennifer Rush‘s keyboard part, Simon is ready to do Huey Lewis And The News and Vijay is pounding out Frankie Goes To Hollywood.

Oh the hilarity. There are three covers of The Power Of Love from the 80’s because there are three hit songs called The Power Of Love from the 80’s. Stamp that gag into the ground. This sort of titting about is like Black Coffee to me. Three Songs and One Name? If you see Kay… I’m there. I think in a nutshell (a Peanut shell?) that’s why I like the band so much. They are so obviously having so much fun with being in a band.

They know they’ve won the game of life. They get to play and play at playing for a living. Be it playing clubs, theaters, stadiums or festivals. Be it Saturday Night TV like The Voice or the Girls Aloud Christmas thing, World wide celebrations of British culture like the Olympics. Be it mucking about in lock down making funny videos with your mates.

This band are a national treasure because they’re just like us. Proud, angry, optimistic, cynical, funny and steeped in popular culture.

Which ever version of the Power of Love is your favourite, they’ve got you covered.

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