Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band who formed in 1997. Hailing from Leeds, the group consists of vocalist Ricky Wilson, guitarist Andrew 'Whitey' White, bassist Simon Rix, keyboardist Nick 'Peanut' Baines, and drummer Nick Hodgson. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs, a team which former Leeds United defender Lucas Radebe played for.[1] The group's debut album, Employment, was released in 2005. It was primarily inspired by new wave and punk rock music of late 1970s,[2] and enjoyed international success with sales of over three million.[3] In 2005, the album was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize.[4] Kaiser Chiefs' second album, Yours Truly, Angry Mob (2007), yielded "Ruby", a number one single in the United Kingdom.
www.kaiserchiefs.co.uk
Novation have been tight lipped about SL Mk II ahead of its launch at Messe09. But it made a secret public debut 4 weeks earlier at Wembley Arena in the capable hands of Nick Baines - better known as Peanut from the Kaiser Chiefs.
The Kaiser Chiefs are having a busy year. Before headlining Reading and Leeds Festival this summer, they are playing a series of dates in Australia, Singapore, Europe and Scandinavia. Their UK tour promoting "Off With Their Heads", culminated in a spectacular show at Wembley Arena on March 4th. It was here that one of a handful of pre-production SL Mk II's was put through its paces.
Its not often that rock stars offer to test out prototype controllers in front of over 10 000 fans, but Peanut is a man who knows his kit: "I've been using the SL25 (Mk I) in my live rig for almost 2 years now. It's solid, and is perfect for use as an extra controller/sample triggering and tinkering device." In addition to its studio duties, the SL Mk II has been designed to trigger samples and synths on stage without the worry of working out what controller is assigned to what parameter. Peanut has plenty of experience managing complex live control set-ups, and appreciates the way all his control information is instantly visible: "The new LED rings around the controllers in the Mk II make it much much easier to see what is going on - especially useful on dark stages! The same applies for the backlit buttons and transport controls, they make the original SL design even better."
Peanut and the rest of the band will be playing festivals across Europe this summer in the run up to Reading and Leeds in the UK. For further information visit: www.kaiserchiefs.co.uk
