Kaiser Chiefs: who are the Leeds-based indie rock band who’ve released a new song titled Jealousy?

Kaiser Chiefs released their new song Jealousy on Tuesday, ahead of a busy summer of indie music.

The Leeds-based band are set to play at festivals across the country including Cornwall’s Tunes in the Dune, the Lake District’s Kendal Calling, Sheffield’s Tramlines Festival, London’s Greenwich Summer Sounds, and Staffordshire’s Trentham Live.

So, if you’re set to see the Kaiser Chiefs perform live in summer 2023, let’s make sure you know everything about them first…

How did the Kaiser Chiefs get their name?

Ricky Wilson, Nick Hodgson and Andrew White formed a band named Runston Parva in 1997.

However, after failing to land a record deal, they reformed as Parva in 2000, with their friends Simon Rix and Nick Baines.

The band landed a record deal - which they were later dropped from following the closure of Mantra Recordings in 2003.

Following this, the group decided to reform again as Kaiser Chiefs, with intentions to sign a new long-term record label and release new music.

The name was adapted from South African football team Kaizer Chiefs, which was the first club of former Leeds United captain Lucas Radebe, who played for The Whites from 1994 to 2005.

James Sandom became their new manager and they signed a recording contract with B-Unique Records.

Who are the current and former band members in Kaiser Chiefs?

Lead vocalist Rick Wilson has been in the band since it first formed as Ruston Parva. The 45-year-old was born in Keighley, West Yorkshire, and recently came second place, as Phoenix, on series four of The Masked Singer.

Ricky was also a coach on The Voice UK for three years, from 2013, and he won both the fourth and fifth series of the ITV show.

Andrew White, who is also an original band member, does the backing vocals and plays the guitar. The 48-year-old, known as Whitey, was born in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, and attended Leeds Metropolian University.

Simon Rix and Nick Baines joined in 2000, when the band changed its name from Ruston Parva to Parva, on the bass and keyboard respectively.

Drummer Vijay Mistry joined the band years later in 2013, after the departure of Nick Hodgson who was an original member.

Nick left the band, after co-writing their songs for the past 15-years, to focus on his career as a producer and songwriter.

How many albums has Kaiser Chiefs released?

The band has seven studio albums; 22 (2003), Employment (2005), Yours Truly, Angry Mob (2007), Off with Their Heads (2008), The Future Is Medieval (2011), Education, Education, Education & War (2014), Stay Together (2016), and Duck (2019).

They also have one extended play titled Lap of Honour (January 2005), one US-only album titled Start the Revolution Without Me (March 2012), and one compilation album titled Souvenir (June 2012).

Kaiser Chiefs also have some non-album singles including 2015’s Falling Awake, 2020’s Zombie Prom, 2022’s How To Dance, and Jealousy - which was released yesterday (11 April).

Their 2007 hit, Ruby, was the only song to reach the number one spot on the UK charts.

What awards have the Kaiser Chiefs won or been nominated for?

The Leeds band have won 14 awards from 48 nominations.

In 2006, they won three Brit Awards in one night. That same year, they also won an Ivor Novello Award, a NME Award, a Silver Clef Award and two Meteor Music Awards.

The five-piece band were also awarded two precious Yellow Pencils at the D&SAD Awards in 2012. The Yellow Pencil is “awarded only to outstanding work that achieves true creative excellence”.

Ricky Wilson himself won the Best Dressed award at the 2006 NME Awards, he was up against the likes of Pete Doherty and Liam Gallagher.