Education, Education, Education & War review – can Kaiser Chiefs still convince?

The latest Kaisers album is charged with three tasks: prove that the Chiefs can pen hits without principal Kaiser Nick Hodgson, validate Ricky Wilson's seat on The Voice and convince a primetime audience unacquainted with indie that perky guitar pop about war is something they need in their phones. From the opening riff of The Factory Gates, a nicely sour, nagging sneer at corporatism, EEE&W is better than you'd think. Though the anthemic Coming Home could have been penned for Voice viewers, hits are unlikely – they'd require a market for roistering English indie, and that remains in deep recession. Still, if anyone can sell this plucky anachronism, Wilson can.