Oasis? They're A Joke, Say The Kaiser Chiefs

The return of the Kaiser Chiefs signals the start of an autumn in which many of the big hitters of British rock are gearing up for major releases. After a year that has been largely dominated by soul divas such as Duffy, Adele and Estelle, the next few weeks will see new albums from Oasis, Keane, Razorlight and Snow Patrol.

Chatting over mugs of tea in the bar of their London hotel, though, a clutch of confident Kaisers appear to welcome the competition.

'We know what a lot of other bands are up to, because we read the papers and we're still interested, as fans,' says Nick, 30. 'But we don't worry about them; we do our own thing.'

'We're also going strong while so many other guitar bands have fallen by the wayside,' adds Ricky, also 30. 'People think that we look on other bands as rivals, but we don't. I listen to groups like Bloc Party and the Arctic Monkeys with great interest. They spur me on, especially the Monkeys. They're a great band, and they make us work harder.'

One group with whom Ricky and his bandmates have had a more fractious relationship are Oasis. Noel Gallagher has made a string of disparaging remarks about the quintet, recently claiming in a Radio 1 interview that he never liked them, despite the fact that he 'did drugs for 18 years'.

The Kaisers themselves dismiss Noel's barbs with typically bluff Yorkshire humour, while pointing out - quite reasonably - that he insults them only to whip up support for his own records.

Guitarist Andrew 'Whitey' White says that the band can brush off Gallagher's jibes as long as they are delivered with a touch of wit.

'He's come out with some pretty uncomplimentary things, but he's also an extremely funny man. He said we were the new Freddie And The Dreamers. So I took a look at Freddie And The Dreamers on YouTube and I have to agree: we are a bit like them.'

'Noel hasn't said anything I'd find offensive,' adds Nick. 'I bumped into him at King's Cross Station recently and it was all fine. It's like a boxing match. We punch each other and then we shake hands and hug at the end. We just don't meet the next night to talk about the fight.'

Read the full interview here.

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk