Guest Reviewer: girlattherockshow aka Rhian
Band(s): Kaiser Chiefs, Nine Black Alps
Venue: Scala, London
Date: 23 October 2007
Website: www.kaiserchiefs.co.uk, www.nineblackalps.com
MySpace: myspace.com/kaiserchiefs, myspace.com/nineblackalps
Label: To be added
Featured on: Loucifer Speaks Guest Reviewer Exclusive




As usual, sitting at my desk listening to the radio and texting in to hear songs [this time, it was Linkin Park], and I was told that I?d won tickets to see the Kaiser Chiefs as part of XFM?s huge birthday celebrations. Great?but I don?t particularly like the gimmicky Leeds band. I?ve never really liked their repetitive pop-sounding songs, so tried to get rid of the tickets at work?no luck. I was invited along, and wanting to make a new friend, I said yes.

Nine Black Alps, a Manchurian band who all look about 12, came on first to support the Kaiser Chiefs. The Scala Bar, being quite small, seemed to suit their regular gig style. Small, a few rock solid fans, but the majority there to see someone else. There?s nothing to dislike about Nine Black Alps, but with that, there?s nothing really that special that draws them out in a crowd?apart from their age, obviously! The band, described as ?an English post-grunge/indie-rock quartet? sounded more like a band who had come straight out of a local gig and onto the stage, where they supported one of the bigger pop/rock names in English music.

Their cover of Bitter End surprised me. Originally by Placebo, the Bitter End is a well-known song with fans of slightly heavier rock music, but still, got a good sing-along to it. The rest of the songs had been muffled and ever so slightly out of tune, but this sounded something different.

Their other songs, unfortunately, sounded horrific, with out of tune guitars, an absolutely wasted lead singer [bless him, the alcohol must go to his head quickly at his age!], and terrible lighting, to top it all off. As well as the bored looking fans at the front of the stage, who barely even flinched when they threw various things into the crowd. Instead of the usual scrabble to get the drum sticks, the badges and the various other things thrown at people, it was more a dash to get out of the way of the oncoming objects!

Admittedly, I did sign up for their ?Fan-List? to get their updates, but this was only to get the free badges that were being given away, as a sort of consolation prize for my younger brother [who couldn?t come because of his age]. Even these were a bit sub-standard!

Thankfully, their set was only half an hour long, at most. I don?t know that my poor ears could have taken much more of this?noise!

The Kaiser Chiefs. Better known for playing festivals and arenas since their first album release [Employment] in 2005, with hits such as ?Every Day I Love You Less and Less? and ?I Predict A Riot?, looked so comfortable in their new, smaller surroundings, and also sufficiently drunk to not care how many people were, or weren?t, there!

As well has having a brilliant stage presence, the music was so well played, you would have thought it pre-recorded. Playing their hits got the crowd singing, as one would hope, as well as playing some unreleased songs from their current album and some songs from their new album.

After a few Jack Daniel?s and Coke?s to loosen me up, I found myself singing along, and even dancing [but only slightly?not enough to be noticed!]. I was quite pleasantly surprised to hear a few songs that I?d not really liked, up until now, coming from my mouth, singing along like I was their number one fan!

Main highlights of the gig?Lead singer, Ricky Wilson, climbing along the balcony and the ?gentleman? I was with getting to touch his shoulder! He then jumped down into the main crowd, followed by a large amount of security guards, and crowd surfed up to the stage! The best-played songs were obviously their best known: ?I Predict A Riot? and ?Ruby? as well as a few others. I pointed out to my gig-buddy that they don?t really need a vocalist?everyone was singing along to each and every word in perfect harmony!

I have to say, that I was quite surprised at how well the guys played and, as I said this morning, out of a possible 10, I give it a good solid 9!