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London,
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Hard at work: Kasabian have a string of European dates coming up
You've got to hand it to Kasabian - they're no slackers.
Still hoarse from a tour of Australia and the Far East, with a string of European dates kicking off the next morning, a lesser band might have turned in early with a cup of Horlicks.
Tonight, though, there was business to be done. "Here comes another classic," barked a scarf-clad Tom Meighan, and if the opening song Shoot The Runner hadn't quite lived up to that billing, scuppered by a malfunctioning PA, Kasabian weren't about to let it bother them.
This intimate, sweaty NME Awards show felt like a night of consolidation for Kasabian. Meighan waved the front rows into a frenzy like a footballer fresh from popping one into the goalmouth.
The wiggy psychedelia of Sun/Rise/Light/Flies, with Meighan sharing vocals with guitarist Sergio Pizzorno, prompted a sea of raised arms.
And even if this was the same set-list Kasabian played when they swung through London a few months back, everyone seemed too caught up in the moment to notice.
So why have Kasabian seemed to touch such a nerve among British audiences?
Like Oasis and Primal Scream before them, this is a band who have figured out how to translate the communal vibe of acid house into a band setting.
Forget The Klaxons for a second - they haven't written anything that shuffles, pumps, or throbs quite like Processed Beats or The Doberman.
Oh sure, like rave, Kasabian also have their dodgy lyrics - it remained hard to take Cutt Off, with its lyrics about mind control and monkeys, totally seriously.
But by the encore - a mass singalong of Club Foot followed by a freaky rendition of The Stuntman that would have been equally at home at Fabric as in a sweaty concert hall - they had stomped the competition to dust. The festival season trembles in anticipation.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
What an amazing gig. Kasabian are a great live band.
Tom is just fantastic.
And the Palais SHOULD NOT be shut down. It should be a more permanant venue for gigs.
My ears are still ringing and legs sore from flinging myself around like a loon.
- Sarah Fiveash, London
