2026 AND STILL PREDICTING RIOTS: INTERVIEW WITH KAISER CHIEFS

INTERVIEW | SIMON RIX – KAISER CHIEFS by Ella Dowell

A few weeks ago, I sat down with bassist Simon Rix of Kaiser Chiefs to chat about the bustling year ahead for the Leeds 5-piece, as they whisk themselves around the globe for another spectacular show run.

Following the success of their gigs and festival appearances in 2025, where the band celebrated 20 years of Employment by playing the album in full, Kaiser Chiefs have truly cemented themselves back on the scene. Last summer, the band announced their further UK ‘More Employment’ tour, as demand was clearly growing. Rix and I spoke only 3 days prior to their tour kicking off in Bradford, and it took real strength not to ask him if he predicted a riot.

I did, however, ask Simon how he is feeling about another big year of tours and festivals;

“Yeah, I feel good! It’s nice to be in demand, which is a bit of a non-humble thing to say, but I think we all thought when we did loads and loads of gigs for employment last year that this year would be quite quiet because there’s no new music.”

Moving on to how the tour extension came about, he shared;

“Last year, someone asked, ‘Would we like to do this tour that we’ve got coming up, a couple weeks more of employment?’ Because there was still demand for people to see it in, I guess, places we haven’t been. So that’s exciting and cool. I do genuinely enjoy playing the album, it’s good fun to sort of revisit those songs and see everyone’s reaction to the ones they haven’t heard for twenty years.”

And the band won’t be stopping after their tour, with a packed lineup of festival appearances from Wychwood Festival in Cheltenham to Bospop Festival in the Netherlands, it’s full steam ahead for these indie legends. “I guess at some point maybe we’ll be too old for it, but still, we still seem to enjoy turning up in the fields and making everyone have a good time. That’s still the thing we like best.”

Kaiser Chiefs have also recently joined the bill for Warrington’s Neighbourhood Weekender in May, and we had a good chat about the lineup this year. I asked him who he would recommend catching, and he championed singer-songwriter Ellur,

“She’s from Leeds, and she’s just getting going, she’s really, really good.” While also admiring the rest of the lineup, from Richard Ashcroft to Example, Simon says; “I think both days look full of people that we have rubbed shoulders with a lot. I wonder if the weather is going to be less grey by May. Hopefully.” He explained that he looks forward to playing at a northern festival, “where the crowds are great, and the young people still go crazy for the songs.”

There’s no denying that Employment is a classic; their 2005 debut album has ignited the band for 20 years now. I was curious as to how life on the road has changed for the band over their illustrious career,

“I mean, when we first started, I guess everything was new and exciting. So, you know, there was so much happening in 2005, 2006, 2008. Every day something amazing was happening, or [we were] in a new city that we’d never been to before, and playing a new venue and meeting new people- I don’t remember a lot of stuff that happened.” he laughed.

“One of the things that was nice about doing the tour last year, and indeed the gigs that are upcoming, was kind of somehow enjoying that success that we had and experiencing the songs in a different way.”

But some things never change, as Rix explained, “I think it’s funny because it’s kind of the same. In 2005, it was basically us five sitting in a room, often with no windows, trying to make each other laugh, and actually, in 2026, it’s still sort of the same in that respect. There’s a little less after-show partying basically is the only difference. I think there’s a bit more, um, sensible drinking and probably some more healthy eating, but other than that, just what you’d expect from a load of forty-odd-year-old men, basically, as opposed to a lot of twenty-year-old men, whatever that is. Let’s not get into that…”

We spoke about the band’s success over time, and their growth over the last 20 years. I had asked about how it felt to be celebrating the tracks from Employment, before we ended up in a lovely conversation about the things that stick. “You know, I do like the awards, or whatever we’ve got, you know what I mean? I do like some of the number ones and whatever, but actually, those stories that people send you, like, ‘I was having treatment in hospital, and I listened to the album, and it helped me get through’, or ‘we got married, and this is our song’ and all that. Those are the really nice things, the things that you sort of didn’t really expect. Celebrating the songs is hearing those stories, you know what I mean?” It was clear that Simon and the band are very much enjoying revisiting their 2005 debut.

“The last couple records have been a bit chaotic, and we were actually really pleased to do the tour because I feel like for us, it was a bit of a reset doing the old songs. I really enjoyed learning and playing all the old songs; it was a bit like stepping back into your body from the past, a little bit like you could weirdly take a little bit of a step back and reset. And we did.”

Well, what comes after the reset? Kaiser Chiefs are a powerhouse band, and thankfully, they’re not slowing down anytime soon. Rix teased that the band have new music in the pipeline for 2027; they might even have time for a nap before then! For now, though, they bask in their (well-deserved) legacy and celebrate an album that has brought people together since 05.

The ‘More Employment’ Tour continues this week with last tickets on sale here. Missed out? Well you can catch Kaiser Chiefs at this year’s Neighbourhood Weekend – tickets on sale now!