I saw Kasabian blow the doors off the Social in aught 5 as part of the Anti*Pop Music Festival. Although young, they were a sensation and stadium headliner in the UK. They spared no pomp or volume in cramming their show into an oversold Social. The club was a sardine can and Kasabian roared. Last night’s show was more of the same. It wasn’t quite as packed in the larger venue but the Brit alt-pop flexed with all its might. The floors rumbled at the combination of bass drum and bass guitar while the walls shook from arena-ready vocals and guitar.
They can be dismissed as self-indulgent new cock-rock neo-cock rock, but who cares? The world needs it right now. Kasabian’s musicianship is spot-on for what they do and their songs are polished and anthemic, delivered with the slightly subdued cocky swagger the Brits perfected. Unlike Oasis, Kasabian can back up their cheekiness with a longer list of worthy recordings AND they actually finish their shows. Kasabian might not have glowing 5-star albums, but they do have enough good tunes on each record to put on a hell of a show.