溫活。簡單豐盛美好

They took the prestigious best British group award as well as best rock act and best UK live act. They were also nominated for best album and best British breakthrough act. The Kaiser Chiefs have jumped to the top of a pile of bands reviving a very English brand of perky, jerky guitar pop that was last in fashion over a decade ago. They started out as an unoriginal and uninspired US-influenced garage band called Parva, who released a string of singles in 2001 and 2002 to little response.

Musical epiphany

But they had an epiphany when they decided to shrug off the serious, pseudo-American spirit and write about things closer to home. Kaiser Chiefs' songs are about "life in Leeds and being British and young and hip", singer Ricky Wilson told the BBC News website after they appeared in its Sound of 2005 list. He described their music as "British, quirky, sometimes spooky pop" and said he planned to revive Britpop. "The British have always done it best - from Franz Ferdinand all the way back to The Beatles," he said. The band knew they were on the right track when their first single, I Predict A Riot - about a Saturday night out on the town - just missed the Top 20 in November 2004. And last February, they picked up the Philip Hall Radar Award for best new band at the NME Awards. That set them up for Top 10 hits with more sing-along gems, Oh My God and Every Day I Love You Less and Less.

Festival favourites

Their album Employment generated both critical acclaim and commercial success when it was released last March. It spent several months in the Top 10, selling more than 1.2 million copies in the UK. Wilson has also made a reputation as one of the best live performers on the rock circuit, jumping around wildly - even when he injured his ankle. Their stage antics have made them favourites at festivals including Glastonbury and V. They also made inroads in the US where I Predict A Riot became an unlikely radio hit. They played at the Philadelphia leg of Live 8 and Employment has sold more than 90,000 copies in the US. This month Kaiser Chiefs make a triumphant return to the NME Awards, where they have been nominated for a record six prizes. The band are set to record their next album this year - which Wilson has said will be their "second and final album". But awards and adulation may persuade them to stick around for a while longer.