Kasabian
Brixton Academy
Live Review
None of us have heard Kasabian's 'difficult' second record yet, they haven't toured for ages and here it was being played live for the first time, four whole days before their headline set at V. All the talk, all the NME tussles, what does it all amount to? Well out of the dusty crevices of their recording studio to the blinding light of the Brixton Academy, Kasabian have re-emerged.
As you can detect from their colonial style video to 'Empire', it is Kasabian's regimented stomp that captures imaginations. The band played six original hits and eight songs from the upcoming album from which the opener 'Shoot the Runner' was by far the most promising track. For popular hits such as 'Processed Beats' and 'Club Foot', the band (much to their credit) had become little more than conductors to a crowd ensnared by the beat.
Tom Meighan did indeed look proud. In contrast to the rest of the band who adopted disciplined positions in line with the strictness of the music, the front man strutted the stage sporting an awkward fitting red jumper. The confidence pedestal he stood atop never alienated anyone. Noticeably, a certain Noel Gallagher was perched at the side of the stage watching his persona being emulated and what followed was a tribute to the man: 'The Last Trip'.
Evidently far more aggressive and continually intense, the new record will still make ardent pacifists want to start a riot and ardent rioters find a chair to launch even where there aren't any. Long after the closing bars of L.S.F the crowd continued to march through Brixton's streets with its chant in full voice. It was testimony both to the captivating quality of Kasabian's music and their performance.
Jamie Curtis
Watch our video interview with Kasabian here
Site - http://www.kasabian.co.uk/
