Review: Kaiser Chiefs, Uttoxeter Racecourse
Kaiser Chiefs blasted onto the stage in a burst of pure energy amid a rainbow of colourful lights and strobes.
Stomping and cavorting Ricky Wilson led us through anthem after anthem.
From the opening verse of the first song Everyday I Love You Less and Less, the crowd at Uttoxeter Racecourse was jumping and dancing around.
The audience were putty in Ricky's hands as he strutted around the stage singing Na Na Na Na Naa and then for Modern Way he was in the thick of the crowd, sitting and singing on the shoulders of one fan.
I was a fan of the Kaiser Chiefs in their early days with the albums Employment and Yours Truly, Angry Mob and thought they had gone a little mellow, but their early stuff suited the venue perfectly.
And as in the title of one of their songs Never Miss A Beat - they never did throughout the 90-minute set.
Anthem Ruby wowed the crowd and then it came to I Predict A Riot - the audience went wild and even had the ambulance crews dancing along on the racecourse.
Ricky works the crowd perfectly with humour and at one point went into the audience to split up a scuffle. He made light of the situation and within minutes had got everybody laughing along.
He is just a bundle of energy from the minute he bursts on the stage.
Their cover of The Buzzcocks Ever Fallen In Love left my husband open-mouthed. It was just superb.
The audience made up of racegoers and young and old fans were never left wanting more.
Uttoxeter Racecourse was the ideal venue for the indie band and the setting means that it had that perfect festival feel about it. They had also played at Aintree the previous night.
Previous Live Music Race-days at Uttoxeter have featured UB40, Texas and The Human League. This gig just shows it is building on that success.
And it was Oh My God when the Kaiser Chiefs stormed back onto the set for their encore - another foot-stomping anthem to finish a perfect evening.
We'd had an exciting afternoon of horse racing followed by a great music.
The Kaiser Chiefs certainly romped over the finishing line with an amazing gig, but most of my horses certainly didn't !
