Image courtesy of @Evokesomm on Twitter.com

Concert Review – Kasabian

On the 22nd of February, British rock band Kasabian announced a last minute gig to be performed at the intimate, 1,500 capacity, Victoria Theatre in Halifax, West Yorkshire.

This dainty venue has began to earn a reputation for hosting concerts for some of the UK’s largest bands, such as Catfish And The Bottlemen and The Stone Roses. No stranger to performing at smaller venues, Kasabian had decided to use this venue to stage a warm-up concert for their performance at the Royal Albert Hall.

I was one of the very few people to acquire a ticket for this concert and this is my review of the event as a whole.

The scene is already set for a memorable evening, 1500 queuing around the block from the Victoria Theatre, erupting with football chants and rallying calls for the night to begin. The security is very tight and acts as a grim reminder of the long lasting legacy surrounding the devastating Manchester Arena attack. After being meticulously frisked by security, the crowd makes its way into the theatre with some heading to the toilet and many heading to the bar.

The first act to make their way onto the stage is Spring King. They have the thankless task of warming up the rabid crowd for the headline band that they have come to see. Although they do not receive a huge ovation, nor do they receive the full attention of the entire crowd, Spring King do perform a great 1 hour set which brings a great energy and excitement to the crowd. Performing their well-known songs such as ‘Who Are You’ and ‘Rectifier’. They also reference their interactions with Kasabian which sends the, now growing impatient crowd into a frenzy.

After a brief interval, that had felt like an eternity, the lights shut off and the crowd awakes from its calm state. This is where the anarchy begins. After a few minutes of shuffling about the lights come back on as it becomes clear that the stewards are ushering some people out of the building, with a great amount of struggle.

Shortly after this disturbance, the lights go off once again with a spotlight on the stage. Out onto the stage strut four men who the audience have been waiting hours to see. Standing tall, and standing out the most, are lead-vocalist Tom Meighan and guitarist/co-vocalist Sergio Pizzorno (‘Serge’). Both men display a great deal of companionship throughout the energetic and wild concert, so energetic that halfway through Meighan has to go for a costume change due to the profuse amount of sweat the concert has drained from his body.

It becomes clear throughout the concert why Kasabian are considered one of the best live bands that Britain has to offer. They are undoubtedly blessed with an abundance of musical talent and with a charisma that can challenge the Gallagher brothers of Oasis. They are able to reel off hit after hit with ‘Il Ray’, ‘Underdog’ and ‘Eez-Eh’ within the first half hour of the concert which is a testament to not only their longevity in the music business, but also their consistency and their ability to adapt throughout the years.

During Meighan’s aforementioned costume change it appears that Serge is reaching for an acoustic guitar. It quickly becomes clear that he will be performing an acoustic song as lead vocalist. It also becomes clear that it will be a live debut for the cult favourite ‘Acid Turkish Bath’ which complements the ‘one-off feel’ of the concert. Serge’s slow rendition of Acid Turkish Bath allowed the crowd to relax for a somewhat brief moment whilst also displaying the ever-expanding repertoire of Britain’s most popular band to emerge from the post Britpop scene.

Upon Meighan’s return to the stage the performance by the band slams back into fifth gear, as though the band had merely been stuck in traffic for a few brief moments. ‘Club Foot’, a song synonymous with football despite its lyrics having nothing to do with the sport, is bellowed by the crowd throughout the venue which is shaking at this point.

Then comes the moment of the night, a familiar 90’s anthem begins to play which is not associated with Kasabian. They begin to cover ‘Praise You’, a tune made into essential party listening by renowned dj Fatboy Slim. After having a singalong with the crowd, Meighan signals to the rest of the band as the song begins to transition into another track. It is not clear what it is going to be, however after a momentary feeling of curiosity a warmth of euphoria descends upon the crowd. Beloved track ‘L.S.F’ echoes around the venue, even those in the seated blocks who have chosen to sit throughout the gig are up on their feet. The excitement of the crowd can no longer be contained as a flare is let off, and it is still unknown how whoever brought the flare in got it past the strict security.

Once the set finishes screams of “encore!” can be heard from large portions of the crowd and, being the crowd pleasers that they are, Meighan and co. strut back onto the stage to perform a few more hits. Almost seeming like this encore was already planned, Kasabian are joined by a brass band to perform ‘Comeback Kid’. This is followed by ‘Vlad The Impaler’ which is the final song performed and the band take their time to thank their adoring fans until heading into the back.

Just as people are beginning to leave, a familiar intro begins to play. The crowd, not yet tired out by the frantic occasion, are once again whipped into a frenzy as the band return to the stage for one final song. Their most commercially successful song, ‘Fire’, is performed to a flawless standard.

Although it is the final song played on the night, nothing about the performance would suggest that which is a display of the bands stamina and consistency as well as their ability to ‘show up’ for the big occasion.