Kaiser Chiefs have announced their biggest hometown show to date to celebrate 20 years of ‘Employment’.
The Leeds indie rockers will mark the 20th anniversary of their classic debut album – which featured singles like ‘Oh My God’ and ‘I Predict A Riot’ – with a special show at Temple Newsam Park on May 31, 2025.
The concert will see the band perform the album in its entirety along with a selection of their greatest hits from other records.
In a statement, the group said: “Very excited to announce our biggest Leeds gig ever. Twenty years since ‘Employment’ and twenty-three years since we last played at Temple Newsam we are delighted to be back.
“Last time we played there (in Parva) we joked we were on after Guns n Roses who had played the previous night so it’s been a long wait to finally actually headline the Park.
“We are a band that historically always looked forwards but after 20 years of people telling us how important ‘Employment’ is to them and how it soundtracked people’s lives, we felt we had to organise a celebration.”
They have put together a stacked lineup for the concert, with Razorlight, The Cribs, The Coral, We Are Scientists, Hot Wax and Ellur all taking part.
Other bands on the bill will also be celebrating their own 20th anniversaries for special albums.
Razorlight will play an anniversary set for ‘Up All Night’, with The Cribs honouring their own LP ‘The New Fellas’, and We Are Scientists will be marking 20 years of ‘With Love And Squalor’.
Kaiser Chiefs added: “We’ve managed to get a few of our old touring friends to come and celebrate with us and of course everyone is invited. Come celebrate the 2000s, ‘Employment’, When Leeds took over the World. See you all in May.”
The show might be a surprise for fans after frontman Ricky Wilson previously dismissed the idea of an anniversary tour for the LP.
Back in 2019, he told NME: “In a world where everyone’s going out on tour to celebrate the seventh anniversary of their first record…I don’t want to do it.”
However, bassist Simon Rix added: “When ‘Employment was 10-years-old, which is now four years ago, we just thought, ‘Well, why would we do that?’ Maybe when it’s 25-years-old we’ll feel like it.”
Tickets for the ‘Employment’ anniversary show go on sale on October 11.