What: Kaiser Chiefs with Priory
When: Monday, 8 p.m.
Where: Distrikt nightclub, 919 Douglas St.
Tickets: $27.50 at Lyle’s Place
There’s nothing better, in terms of concert-going, than the big-band small-venue experience.
It happens often when the Tragically Hip performs in the U.S., at shows full of gobsmacked Canadians who can’t believe they are seeing a hockey-stadium-worthy rock band — albeit one that has never fully caught on in the States — playing to a few hundred fans in an intimate environment.
The same could be said of Kaiser Chiefs, from Leeds, England. The group — founders Ricky Wilson (lead vocals), Andrew White (guitar), Simon Rix (bass), Nick Baines (keyboards), and recent addition Vijay Mistry (drums) — recently played the O2 Arena in their adopted home of London, to more than 20,000 fans.
That puts into perspective the uniqueness of the band’s Victoria debut, set for Monday night at Distrikt nightclub, which, despite being one of the city’s largest nightclubs, tops out at fewer than 600 people.
The intimacy makes the Kaiser Chiefs’ set on Monday all the more special.
But there is good reason to celebrate their visit, above and beyond the setting.
The band is back in action with Education, Education, Education & War, the fifth and latest offering and first Kaiser Chiefs album to debut at No. 1 on the sales charts in the U.K.
That could have something to do with the increased profile of heartthrob singer Ricky Wilson, who has followed in the footsteps of Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine and taken a job coaching on the BBC edition of The Voice.
The show put both Wilson and the band back in the public eye, years after they made headway with hit singles I Predict a Riot, Ruby and Every Day I Love You Less and Less.
The band now belongs atop the leader board of British rock bands of the moment, evidenced by a recent run of dates in the U.K. that included stops at Liverpool Arena (11,000 capacity), among other high-profile digs.
And to think, on Monday, 600 of their closest friends will get to see them up close and personal.
