Kaiser Chiefs' festival warm-up shows at the modest, but perfectly formed, Princess Pavilion at Falmouth last summer were the result of a more deliberate choice than a random flick through a UK venues directory.

Cornwall holds fond memories for the bouncy pop ensemble from Leeds – responsible for anthemic singalong hits like I Predict A Riot, Oh My God and Ruby Ruby Ruby. They cut their touring teeth on the road supporting the now defunct Ordinary Boys at establishments like the Koola bar in Newquay back in 2004, and they had a ball headlining at the Eden Sessions four years later.

The county was also the place where singer Ricky Wilson sojourned frequently during the band's recent two-year hiatus; his girlfriend's parents live down here and it proved the perfect, out-of-the-way location for a spot of deep thinking.

It was here, reveals Kaiser's keyboard player Nick "Peanut" Baines – ahead of the band's Plymouth Pavilions show on February 4 – that high-jumping crowd-surfer Mr Wilson conceived the revolutionary idea of tipping the standard album on its head.

Instead of issuing a ready-made collection, they streamed 20 freshly-recorded tracks on a brand new website and invited fans to design their own bespoke The Future Is Medieval long player by picking their ten personal favourite songs and selecting their preferred artwork as individual download packages.

"There was a lot of secrecy around the whole thing – people thought we were doing nothing, but actually we were really busy getting the tracks down and sorting artwork," explains Peanut. "When it came to choosing a place for our first show in around 18 months, it felt right to come to Cornwall because of its part of our story.

"It's like doing a gig in your favourite place in the world," adds the pork-pie hat wearer who spent glorious childhood holidays on the beaches of St Ives, Carbis Bay, Treyarnon and Constantine, and returns whenever he can. "It was a bit scary going back onto a stage again, but we've always been confident as a band; we know we can get a crowd going and we enjoy giving people that satisfaction."

There's a brand new single, On The Run, emerging soon, but the Falmouth shows – and slots at Glastonbury and other 2011 festivals – are still the only UK live airings to date from an album that strayed into short sharp new wave, with a discerning nod towards The Who, Pink Floyd and David Bowie, notably single Little Shocks.

The setlist on the current tour, which starts tonight in Llandudno, will be carefully planned to flow well, according to Peanut.

"The hits and singles will be there, of course, and lots of new songs from the record, plus new, new songs that haven't been heard anywhere yet," he says.

His personal favourites can change from gig to gig. "Man On Mars is my pick of the new record, but Oh My God is still our big ending song. The energy in the chorus makes everyone go crazy. Every show really is a shared experience with the crowd."