Kaiser Chiefs at Hammersmith Apollo

When their 2005 debut album Employment came out, Kaiser Chiefs essentially hit the ground running; 2025 was chock-full of 20^th anniversary celebratory shows for them, both on tour and festival stages. So it was a slight surprise when they announced yet another set of dates for this record, with frontman Ricky Wilson describing 2006 as the year “that things really took off”.

Fast-forward to February 2026, slap-bang in the middle of this run, as Kaiser Chiefs take Employment out for another hurrah – tonight, they play the Hammersmith Apollo for the first time in 14 years. London’s had some miserably grey weather recently; here’s hoping some in-your-face nostalgia will liven up this dreary Friday night…

Before that, Manchester band Corella start proceedings, doing a mighty fine job with their shimmering summery indie songs. Frontman Joel Smith is unfazed, impressively managing to get the stoic London audience singing along before inviting them to their upcoming headline show. Lady Messiah stands out as a fun track, but on the whole, these guys are worth checking out.

Suitably warmed up, the Apollo welcomes Kaiser Chiefs with a cheer. The five-piece bow before taking up positions, and the first thing we hear is the stinging synth intro of Everyday I Love You Less and Less. Ricky Wilson leaps into action (literally), jumping around like an electrocuted jackrabbit while swinging both the microphone and mic stand like lethal weapons. I Predict a Riot immediately follows, the crowd roaring in delight at this early treat.

Wilson then mentions they’re doing Employment in full, before shouting “hands in the air!” for Modern Way; the thing is, it’s a record with all the singles appearing early in the tracklisting. That’s great when hit after hit opens the show, but after debut single Oh My God (track six), the energy stalls. True, some fans here are ecstatic to hear the deep cuts getting wheeled out – the new wave vibes of Na Na Na Na Naa are undeniably fun – but the result is an uneven set, with the easygoing Caroline, Yes and the Blur-reminiscent Team Mate one after another slowing the pace right down. As a result, the Employment section strolls to a close.

Not to worry, though, as an extended encore begins with Wilson announcing “Thank you! Here’s some other shit,” and the band hurtles into the Ramones’ Blitzkrieg Bop. Once Never Miss a Beat follows, the Apollo is back onside. Ruby expectedly goes down a storm, and even the cheesy pop of Hole in My Soul is warmly welcomed. By the time The Angry Mob signals the end, the audience leaves satisfied as they head home.

Not every record translates well when played track-by-track onstage, as demonstrated tonight. Granted, Wilson is no slouch as a frontman, encouraging crowd chants and constantly remaining animated, and the band sound fantastic, but this set definitely could have flowed better. It’s not uncommon for album anniversary setlists to change the order of songs – Employment could have benefited from this. Still plenty of fun, though.