Kaiser Chiefs to headline North East seaside festival
Written by Jack Ian Austwicke on 2nd February 2024
Indie rock band Kaiser Chiefs will be the headline act as Soundwave festival returns to Seaton Carew for the second year.
After Bastille set the town alight for the event’s maiden year last summer with over 5,000 people gathering by the sea, and on the back of the incredible success, organisers worked hard to lock down their number one target for the second edition this July.
Bastille lead singer Dan Smith performing at Soundwave.
The five-piece band – led by vocalist Ricky Wilson – will perform on Seaton Carew seafront on July 27.
By The Sea Leisure released a statement following the announcement: “The Kaiser Chiefs are renowned for their electrifying performances and chart-topping hits with a career spanning a decade and a fan base that spans the globe, and with this, the Leeds-born band are sure to bring an unparalleled energy to the festival.”
Co-organiser Joe Franks, who worked alongside Neil Winterbottom and Jordan Jefferson, spoke to Spark Sunderland about how big of a coup this is for the town: “I think we managed to land the Kaiser Chiefs off the back of last year, we had to fight really hard to get them.
“We showed them what we did, everyone left buzzing after Bastille.
“We don’t normally see things like this in Hartlepool, they tend to bypass us and go to the cities like Newcastle or Leeds.”
Joe, who is from Hartlepool, also spoke on how important this is for the businesses of the town: “We brought 18,000 people over a series of events, and the local economy was thriving.
“The taxis, bars, restaurants, hotels were all chocka. It’s just as important for Hartlepool as it is for us as business people.”
Fans can expect to hear some of their biggest worldwide hits, such as ‘Ruby’ and ‘I Predict a Riot’, while also seeing some new aspects added to the festival including a BBC Introducing stage. Joe believes last year’s success has allowed the upcoming festival to be “a lot bigger and better”.
The Subways and The Futureheads supported headliners Bastille in 2023, but Joe couldn’t give too much away about who else we could see this summer. “Nothing else is confirmed yet, we have lots of offers out and we are trying hard to get some good supports.”
For those who signed up for pre-sale registration, tickets can be bought on Wednesday, February 7 at 9am. General sale will begin on Thursday, February 8 at 9am.
Tickets can be bought on the Soundwave website here.
