Kaiser Chiefs Turn Employment Into a Riotous Time Capsule at Eventim Apollo

Alan Bryce
2 days ago
3 min read

Eventim London - 20th February 2026

WORDS / IMAGES ALAN BRYCE

Kaiser Chiefs Turn Employment Into a Riotous Time Capsule at Eventim Apollo — Alan Bryce Photo Credit

Anniversary tours can go one of two ways: lifeless museum pieces or sweat-soaked reminders of why the songs mattered in the first place. On February 20 at the Eventim Apollo, Kaiser Chiefs made sure Employment fell firmly into the latter category.

But first, Corella had the unenviable task of warming up a London theatre already fizzing with anticipation. Support slots in rooms like this can feel functional — polite applause, pints still being poured — yet Corella refused to be background noise.

Opening with ‘Do You Want It?’, they opted for polish over chaos: chiming guitars, clean hooks, and a frontman keen to win the room without begging for it. ‘Drifting’ and ‘Head Underwater’ leaned into open-hearted indie uplift, while ‘Waterfall’ hinted at arms-aloft ambitions beyond support status. They’re tight, radio-ready and clearly comfortable on bigger stages.

Still, it’s the rougher edges that intrigue most. Unreleased cuts ‘Lost A Friend’ and ‘Rewire’ injected grit beneath the sheen, suggesting there’s more to them than playlist-friendly optimism. They may not have detonated the Apollo, but they did something arguably harder: they held its attention. In a venue that can swallow emerging bands whole, Corella planted a confident flag.

Setlist

Do You Want It
Drifting
Head Underwater
Waterfall
Bloom
Lost A Friend (Unreleased)
Lady Messiah
Rewire (Unreleased)
Come Around
Barcelona Girl
Then came the chaos.

The second Ricky Wilson bounded onstage, any lingering theatre restraint evaporated. ‘Everyday I Love You Less And Less’ snapped the room to life before ‘I Predict A Riot’ turned the stalls into a heaving, shouting mass. Nearly 20 years on, it doesn’t feel like nostalgia — it feels coded into British indie DNA.

At the heart of the night is Employment, the 2005 debut that catapulted Kaiser Chiefs from Leeds hopefuls to festival mainstays. The house-front stage set — windows flickering with visuals — cleverly literalised the album’s iconography without veering into West End theatrics. It framed the record as both homecoming and battleground.

Playing the album through its spine could have risked mid-set sag. Instead, it underscores just how stacked it is. ‘Modern Way’, ‘Na Na Na Na Naa’ and ‘You Can Have It All’ land with the force of generational chants. Even deeper cuts like ‘Caroline, Yes’ and ‘Team Mate’ are met with full-bodied singalongs that defy the Apollo’s seated layout. No one’s staying seated.

Crucially, the band don’t coast. ‘Take My Temperature’ reintroduces the scrappier undercurrent that once made them feel genuinely dangerous. Wilson, part ringmaster, part class clown, prowls the stage with restless energy — hopping monitors, leaning into the crowd, constantly pushing at the invisible boundary between performer and punter.

If there’s a critique, it’s that the show rarely strays from expectation. The beats hit exactly where you think they will; the setlist plays like a greatest-hits safety net wrapped around an album run-through. It’s impeccably executed, but rarely unpredictable.

Still, when the encore kicks in, subtlety goes out the window. A breathless charge through Ramones’ ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ resets the tempo before ‘Ruby’ and ‘Never Miss A Beat’ push things into full-throttle release. By the time ‘The Angry Mob’ closes the night, the Apollo is a unified roar — joyous, messy, cathartic.

What elevates the show beyond simple anniversary indulgence is the mutual understanding in the room. These songs have aged alongside their audience. They’re not retro artefacts; they’re mile markers. Breakups, house parties, first festivals — it’s all in there. Kaiser Chiefs recognise that weight and play like it still matters.

Two decades on, they could easily trade on muscle memory alone. Instead, they deliver a reminder: Employment wasn’t just a moment. It was a movement — and, judging by this riotous return, it still has plenty of life in it yet.

SET LIST