"I Predict a Riot" is a song by English indie rock band Kaiser Chiefs,appearing on their debut album,Employment (2005). It was originally released as their second single on 1 November 2004 and was the band's first release on the B-Unique label. It entered at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart. When re-released in 2005 as a double A-side with "Sink That Ship",it peaked at number 9 on the UK chart.
Drummer Nick Hodgson used to DJ at a club in Leeds called the Cockpit. He would often drive home past another nightclub called Majestyk's which often had people and police fighting each other,and sometimes drunk clubgoers would even bang on the windows of his car at 3am.[3][4] He took inspiration from this one night and wrote a riff on the piano when he got home. The "friend of a friend who got beaten" was a friend of a fellow DJ at the Cockpit. The title came from an event Hodgson DJed at a different club called Pigs,where a band called Black Wire was playing. The crowd was so chaotic that he said to the club's boss,"I predict a riot".[5]
The song makes a reference to John Smeaton("an old Leodensian"),a civil engineer born in 1724 and a former pupil of Leeds Grammar School,the same school attended by the band’s singer,Ricky Wilson.[6]
Music videos
Two music videos were released for "I Predict a Riot",one for the original 2004 release and one for the 2005 reissue with "Sink That Ship" as a double A-side. The first video was directed by Charlie Paul,[7][8] whom in between had also worked with the Kaiser Chiefs on both music videos for "Oh My God",[9][10][11] and filmed on 3 September 2004,[12] depicting the band performing the song intercut with footage of fans having a Pillow fight.[7] The second video,the "New Lighter version",was directed by Swedish production company Stylewar[13] (whom would later work with the band again in 2007 for the "Ruby"[14] and "Everything Is Average Nowadays"[15] videos),and shot in black and white,which depicts the band in the United Kingdom in the 1940s.
When Liz Truss gave her farewell speech on 25 October 2022, the song was heard playing in the background. The incident was orchestrated by activist Steve Bray.[41]
↑ I Predict a Riot (UK CD single liner notes). Kaiser Chiefs. B-Unique Records. 2004. BUN088CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ I Predict a Riot (Australian CD single liner notes). Kaiser Chiefs. B-Unique Records. 2005. 9882095.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ I Predict a Riot / Sink That Ship (UK CD1 liner notes). Kaiser Chiefs. B-Unique Records, Polydor Records. 2005. BUN096CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ I Predict a Riot / Sink That Ship (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Kaiser Chiefs. B-Unique Records, Polydor Records. 2005. BUN096-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ I Predict a Riot (UK CD2 liner notes). Kaiser Chiefs. B-Unique Records, Polydor Records. 2005. BUN096CDX.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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