I Predict a Riot explained

"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 Kevin'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 nine on the UK chart.

Background

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] It is one of the three tracks the band played when they opened Live 8 in Philadelphia, alongside "Everyday I Love You Less and Less" and "Oh My God". 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.^[7]

Track listings

• UK 7-inch single (2004) ^[8]

A. "I Predict a Riot"

B. "Take My Temperature"

• UK CD single (2004) ^[9]

1. "I Predict a Riot"
2. "Wrecking Ball"

• Australian CD single (2005) ^[10]

1. "I Predict a Riot" – 3:54
2. "Wrecking Ball" – 3:50
3. "Take My Temperature" – 2:35
4. "I Predict a Riot" (video)

• UK CD1 and 7-inch single (2005) ^{[11] [12]}

1. "I Predict a Riot" – 3:54
2. "Sink That Ship" – 2:38

• UK CD2 (2005) ^[13]

1. "I Predict a Riot" – 3:54
2. "Less Is More" – 2:52
3. "Everyday I Love You Less and Less" (Boys Noize Remix) – 5:26
4. "I Predict a Riot" (new version—video)

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2005)	Position
UK Singles (OCC)[15]	68
Chart (2006)	Position
UK Singles (OCC)[16]	121

Release history

Region	Version	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)
United Kingdom	"I Predict a Riot"	1 November 2004	CD	B-Unique	[17]
United States		31 January 2005	Alternative radio		[18]
		23 May 2005			[19]
Australia			CD		[20]
United Kingdom	"I Predict a Riot" / "Sink That Ship"	22 August 2005			[21]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Sutton. Michael. Kevin Painter Biography & History. 17 April 2021. AllMusic.
2. Web site: 2 December 2018. Ellie Goulding backs Dalton Harris to win X Factor final. 17 April 2021. The Irish News.
3. Web site: Lynskey . Dorian and Dave Simpson . 24 February 2006 . 'Born Slippy was a greyhound we bet on' . 11 January 2022 . The Guardian.
4. Web site: Kaiser Chiefs Interview: The Story Of 'I Predict A Riot' - NME Song Stories . YouTube. 4 July 2014 . 11 January 2022.
5. News: Yates . Henry . Yates . Interviews by Henry . 2020-05-18 . Kaiser Chiefs: how we made I Predict a Riot . 2024-09-22 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
6. Web site: 2014-10-01 . The story of Kaiser Chiefs' I Predict A Riot . 2024-09-22 . Radio X . en.
7. News: Waters . Lowenna . 26 October 2022 . 'I Predict a Riot' by the Kaiser Chiefs blasted behind Downing Street as Liz Truss gives final speech as PM . 26 October 2022 . Evening Standard.
8. I Predict a Riot. Kaiser Chiefs. 2004. UK 7-inch single sleeve. B-Unique Records. BUN088-7.
9. I Predict a Riot. Kaiser Chiefs. 2004. UK CD single liner notes. B-Unique Records. BUN088CD.
10. I Predict a Riot. Kaiser Chiefs. 2005. Australian CD single liner notes. B-Unique Records. 9882095.
11. I Predict a Riot / Sink That Ship. Kaiser Chiefs. 2005. UK CD1 liner notes. B-Unique Records, Polydor Records. BUN096CD.
12. I Predict a Riot / Sink That Ship. Kaiser Chiefs. 2005. UK 7-inch single sleeve. B-Unique Records, Polydor Records. BUN096-7.
13. I Predict a Riot. Kaiser Chiefs. 2005. UK CD2 liner notes. B-Unique Records, Polydor Records. BUN096CDX.
14. Web site: The ARIA Report: ARIA Hitseekers – Week Commencing 6th June 2005. ARIA. 19. 6 June 2005. dead. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20050619140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20050620-0000/issue797.pdf. 19 June 2005. 20 June 2021.
15. Web site: End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2005. Official Charts Company. 8 July 2018.
16. Web site: The Official UK Singles Chart 2006. UKChartsPlus. 4 September 2018.
17. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 23. 30 October 2004.
18. Going for Adds. Radio & Records. 1591. 25. 28 January 2005. 20 June 2021.
19. Going for Adds. Radio & Records. 1607. 23. 20 May 2005. 20 June 2021.
20. Web site: The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 23rd May 2005. ARIA. 28. 23 May 2005. dead. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20050619140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20050620-0000/issue795.pdf. 19 June 2005. 20 June 2021.
21. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 49. 20 August 2005.