They say that nostalgia is not like it used to be, but on Friday evening Kaiser Chiefs flew in the face of this idiom.

By Caitlin Barnard

The band kicked off the second leg of the 20th Anniversary tour of their venerated debut album Employment in Bradford, vowing an evening of reminiscence with a setlist comprised of a time capsule of hits throughout their illustrious career. 

The evening commenced with up-and-coming indie quartet Corella. The Manchester band hit the stage with an assemblage of jangling guitar-driven indie anthems harkening back to the sounds of 2014 but with a new edge.

These summer-soaked tracks made for an apt fit for the evening’s theme, and although much of the crowd was unfamiliar with their music, their infectious hooks on tracks like Lady Messiah had the crowd chanting along. This endorsement only served to exemplify lead vocalist Joel Smith’s emotive and stylish performance, which exhilarated the audience in anticipation of the headline performers. 

The members of Kaiser Chiefs soon hit the stage swinging with the iconic opening track Everyday I Love You Less and Less. The space was instantly overflowing with a profusion of colours and energy.  The variety of zany illustrations projected behind the band members, clad in period authentic blazers, made them feel like characters in an old-school cartoon show as the new wave synth lines spilt forward. 

Bounding into the next anthem I Predict A Riot, it was evident that frontman Ricky Wilson is still as accomplished in a live setting as ever. It was hard to divert one’s eyes away from his performance as he sauntered across the stage in a playfully braggadocio persona. This spirited show from Wilson was backed up with the potent attestation that he certainly hasn’t lost his vocal chops, belting and chanting as the words “expect resistance” scrolled across the screen behind. 

Continuing sequentially through Employment from Modern Way and winding their way around to Oh My God, what was striking was how refreshing it was to hear the album performed in full. This setlist championed the art of the album at its forefront – something too often underappreciated in today’s musical landscape – succeeding in virtue of the enduring quality of the hook-laden project that captured the sentiment of a generation.

After concluding the Employment portion of the set, the ensemble was swiftly onto a champion walk through a myriad of their greatest hits and underground classics alike. Songs such as Ruby continued this communal feeling of exultation shared between the band and the audience, proving that as much as this was a “joyous lap of honour” for the band (NME), it also offered a meaningful opportunity for the audience to reflect on the times that these very songs provided the soundtrack to each of their own lives. And, as the audience exited the building on a high, still chanting “Yorkshire”, it certainly makes one proud to be from the North.

The band will be touring across the UK throughout the remainder of February to sold out venues.

Kaiser Chiefs performed at Bradford Live on Friday 13 February 2026.