Kaiser Chiefs are reportedly taking a sabbatical from writing, recording, and playing their music. What’s more, front man Ricky Wilson could be about to try and break into TV, forging himself a new career on the goggle box.

The reports that Kaiser Chiefs were going to take some time away from being a band have been circulating for a couple of weeks now. The decision has apparently been taken due to their third album, Off With Their Heads, received a lukewarm reception.

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It may have taken the Kaiser Chiefs years to get anywhere in the music business, but now they’re here, they clearly intend to stick around for a while. It’s a good job then that the new material they are producing is living up to the standards they’ve already set.

Kaiser Chiefs are a band who divide people quite drastically. On the one hand, you have people like me who appreciate good music in all its forms, be it pop, indie, metal or hip hop, and so don’t get bogged down worrying about the commercial aspects of an artists work. On the other hand you have music Nazis who insist on being snobby about influences, genres, and bands who stay true to themselves.

At the end of the day, Kaiser Chiefs play some fantastic indie pop music that appeals to the masses and is instantly likeable. Where’s the crime in that? So I’m pleased to say that new single, Never Miss A Beat, the first to emerge from their third album, Off With Their Heads, is a catchy pop anthem that demands a listen.

Video and review after the cut.

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The annual Q Awards was held in London on Tuesday, and Coldplay were the ultimate winners on the day, picking up two massive awards. They won ‘Best Album’ for Viva La Vida, and ‘Best Act In The World Today’.

Duffy picked up an award for ‘Breakthrough Artist’, while ‘Best New Act’ went to The Last Shadow Puppets. Kaiser Chiefs won ‘Best Live Act’ for their spirited and always lively stage presence, while Adam Ant won the ‘Q Icon’ award for being a legend.

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I made the last part of the title up but Noel might as well have called his list that. It’s a brilliant top list of bands, but there are some glaring omissions, which makes me wonder how Noel can describe it as “THE DEFINITIVE Top 10″. In your opinion Noel, in your opinion.

Noel and his brother Liam Gallagher have been very vocal of late about their dismissal of current bands. Liam criticised the fans of Coldplay and Radiohead as boring and ugly, and went on to claim not to like modern bands at all. Noel went on a drunken rant about a whole host of artists, with Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, and the Kaiser Chiefs getting it with both barrels.

But it’s good to know that Noel DOES like some good bands, as his top ten list, detailed on the Oasis Diary blog, includes some top bands, but omits just as many essential artists.

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I’m sure I’m living in some kind of time bubble as I keep experiencing deja vu, again, and again, and again. Just yesterday I reported how Amy Winehouse had hit one of her fans, yes, another one. And now Noel Gallagher has taken a pop at some of his fellow British artists. Didn’t he do that last week, and the week before?

The older Gallagher was being interviewed on BBC Radio One, and was reportedly in a state of drunkenness, when he decided to go to town on a whole host of British singers and groups. This comes just a few months after he slagged Jay-Z off, a tirade he has now tried to backtrack on.

According to AFP, in the interview he described Amy Winehouse as a “destitute horse”. He then turned his attention to Winehouse’ friend and producer Mark Ronson.

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Kaiser Chiefs have revealed details about their forthcoming album, including the name, track listing, and special guests. But on the same day, they have described the British Indie scene as “very, very boring”. But that doesn’t include them, obviously.

Kaiser Chiefs third studio album is to be called Off With Their Heads, and will be released on October 13th. The follow-up to last year’s Yours Truly, Angry Mob has been produced by Amy Winehouse’ mate Mark Ronson, and will feature guest appearances from a number of high profile artists.

The album release will be preceded by the first single to come from it, Never Miss A Beat, release on October 6th. According to the NME, Lily Allen and New Young Pony Club provide backing vocals for the single, while rapper Sway appears on Half The Truth. Lily Allen also appears on Always Happens Like That, alongside orchestration from David Arnold.

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John Lydon of the Sex Pistols has allegedly been involved in a racial attack on Bloc Party front man Kele Okereke at the Summercase festival in Spain. Reports first emerged of a scuffle between Foals front man Yannis Philippakis, but the details have since been filled in by the lead singer of British indie rockers Bloc Party.

The incident apparently happened as Lydon socialised with a bunch of British acts backstage at the festival. Kele then claims to have approached Lydon to ask him if there was any chance of him reforming Public Image Ltd., one of his favourite bands.

Bloc Party then claim, in an official statement, that Lydon “became intimidating and aggressive while his entourage responded with a racist tirade including the statement ‘Your problem is your black attitude’.” Okereke then had a scuffle with Lydon’s associates, until Philippakis, and Kaiser Chiefs front man Ricky Wilson, stepped in to calm everything down.

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How do you decide when the summer is finally upon us and the rain clouds are going to give way to glorious days of sunshine? Personally, being a music freak, I wait until the summer festival season kicks off in the UK, which is this weekend with both the Isle of Wight and Download festivals taking place.

The Isle of Wight Festival is one of the oldest pop and rock festivals in the UK, with some particularly memorable performance from artists such as Bob Dylan, The Who, Jimi Hendrix and The Doors when it first ran between 1968 and 1970. It was then brought back, and bang up to date in 2002, and has been running ever since.

This year’s line-up sees The Sex Pistols, Ian Brown, The Police and The Kooks headlining tonight and tomorrow, but it all kicked off on Friday night with Kaiser Chiefs headlining their first festival in the UK.

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Whenever a band have a new album ready for release, and they’ve been away for a while, it’s almost a guarantee that one of the members will start mouthing off against some other band in an effort to get some free publicity, and their name back on the tips of everyone’s tongue.

Oasis are no strangers to this strategy, being part of the notorious Blur Vs Oasis battle in the 1990s where both Britpop bands laid in to each other and gained chart success partly as a result.

The Gallagher brothers have both got big mouths and use them whenever they feel like it, but now they find themselves on the receiving end of someone else’s diatribe.

The man doing the smack talking this time is Ricky Wilson from Leeds Indie kids (Granddads would be more appropriate) Kaiser Chiefs. He has made some rather snarky comments about the legendary Manchester rockers, who let’s face it have outlived many bands such as the Kaiser Chiefs in their day.

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The Sex Pistols are set to play a one-off gig at the tiny Birmingham Academy in preparation for their headline slot at the Isle Of Wight Festival in June.

The festival is set to be staged on the Isle Of Wight between June 13th and 15th with the vintage punk rockers closing the second night of proceedings.

The warm up gig will take place two days earlier, on the 11th June. It will be the first time that The Sex Pistols have played Birmingham in 32 years.

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