Gig Review - Kasabian at Brixton Academy 20/08/12

Kasabian's arrival to the big festival slots has not strictly been a comfortable one.

While they have had three successive UK number one albums and have an army of fans who enjoy their anthemic rock, they have had successive albums derided by critics who lazily dismiss them as sounding like Oasis.

It has also not been smooth sailing - despite an almost absurd amount of touring bringing the band to the UK's biggest venues, they are still a small gigs band in the USA and are not yet at the same level in Europe, although one more album could send them over the top.

But back home, they are in the big time - after this show they went on to headline Reading and Leeds Festivals, having previously headlined V and T in the Park, and there's talk of Glastonbury and possibly stadiums when they tour album five.

With a US Tour in smaller rooms than this, it means that Kasabian have little trouble squeezing their production into the 4,500 O2 Academy.

They also are a great live band - starting big and not letting go. Opener Days Are Forgotten blitzes past, with a heavy rock riff, piercing synthesizers and singer Tom Meighan's growl firing the song along to start proceedings.

They don't let up, with classics such as Shoot The Runner and Underdog also firing past early on to a crowd that not only appreciates them but absolutely takes it as a sign to go mental. Moshpits and mass singing that threatens to down out singer Meighan, with the crowd even going wild at the song's distinctive guitar riffs.

It's a truly hardcore crowd in, with album cuts like Let's Roll Just Like We Used To and I.D. getting great receptions from the crowd.

Guitarist and songwriter Sergio Pizzorno gets a moment to shine, with his cut Take Aim and a cover of Everybody's Got To Learn Sometimes fitting in fantastically and beautifully. And all this before bass player Chris Edwards fires up the distinguished riff to Club Foot, which sends an already delirious crowd into true mayhem.

In fact, it takes until nearly the end for what could be interpreted as a mis-step, as the mid-tempo Man Of Simple Pleasures gets an airing. This is the weakest song on their newest record, but is in fact still fitting, given that the energetic Empire and Fast Fuse preceded it. It promptly allows the crowd a little rest before a final run through of some big numbers.

A lovely performance of Fatboy Slim's Praise You segues into anthemic rocker L.S.F at what seems like the end as the song's euprhoric refrain is repeated by the crowd.

But then the band return as loud synths refrain the intro to club-rock song Switchblade Smiles and the huge electronic riff of Vlad The Impaler. This combination returns the crowd to state almost beyond euphoria, not least when the riff on the later kicks in and the crowd just goes insane.

And this is before Fire, the band's biggest single and show closer. After a quick dedication to the supports and to Leicester City FC (loudly booed, much to Meighan's sniggering), the song kicks in. Martial beats rumble along before a huge glam-rock style chorus and chants send the song and audience into overdrive.

It's a fantastic moment and one perfect for crowds like Reading.

A final acapella rung of She Loves You brings the curtain down on a euphoric rock n roll event. While they may not have had their own way in getting to the big festival slots, their fantastic rapport with the crowd and an immense catalogue of anthems means that they will fit right in. There may still be hope for a Kasabian stadium gig yet.



Before the band played, there were two support acts. Leicester indie band KAV, mates with Meighan, opened the show to a sparsely populated arena and delivered a reasonable style of Primal Scream style music. Their frontman was also a nice man, who seemed pretty pleased to be in the venue.

Following them on was Band of Skulls, a Southampton-based heavier rock outfit. Fuelled by desert rock riffs and some shout-out choruses (most notably on I Know What I Am), they provided an exemplary support slot and they look worthy of headlining this venue, which they are doing in December. They looked like they were checking the venue out for this show, and certainly sounded at home.


All in all it was a very good evening in a good venue.
4.5/5

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Hello, my name is Charles Crook. I study journalism, but am currently in-between my first and second years of the course.

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