Kasabian, Brixton Academy, 19/8/10

Now at the peak of their leery, beery powers, tonight’s Kasabian gig marks the eve of one of their biggest shows to date – a headline slot at V Festival. Swaggering onstage with his closely cropped hair, all-black outfit and dark sunglasses, lead singer Tom Meighan’s publicly declared desire to emulate the Gallagher brothers seems to have become more of a reality as his band’s ascension continues. Luckily for us however, their music isn’t overshadowed by in-fighting and bad attitudes.

Opening with ‘Shoot The Runner’, the crowd explode into life and barely stop to take a breath for the following ninety minutes. Already this is more than simple guitar fare, as a trio of trumpeters add a sense of fanfare to proceedings. ‘Take Aim’ sees Tom leave the stage to give chief songwriter Serge his moment in the spotlight and he grabs it with both hands as he attacks his guitar with an impassioned vigour. ‘Fast Fuse’ sets off a spark that drives the audience into an agitated frenzy, whilst ‘Club Foot’ sees the capacity of Brixton bounce as a collective and chant in a manner that wouldn’t be out of place at a football match. The only slow point comes during ‘West Ryder Silver Bullet’ as its dramatic instrumentals decrease the pace slightly, but this is merely a dot in the sumptuous tapestry of their set.

Despite the fact that the only instrument he picks up the entire gig is a tambourine, tonight is undoubtedly the Tom Meighan show. With his childlike candour and boundless exuberance, he is a true showman. The crowd are putty in his hands as he stalks around the stage like a caged animal itching to be unleashed, and by the time the band storm through ‘Fire’ in the encore, there is an electricity in the room that The Fly simply cannot help but be awed by. If tonight’s performance is Kasabian’s idea of a warm up show, then the lucky punters who witness them in bigger slots should prepare to get burnt.

This review was originally published on www.the-fly.co.uk

They think it's all over.... 2009 definitely is now

So.... the 24 days of Christmas Crackers didn't quite come to fruition. Turns out there are quite a lot of parties and gigs at Christmas time and I had too much music to listen to and not enough time to write about it. I'm sure you were all devastated.

Anyway, 2010 is here and the blog is back on form, and I have a feeling it's going to be a great year for music. 2009 wasn't bad but there were only a few stand out albums for me, and there should have been more. Here are the few that tickled me pink last year...

Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
The Leeds lads finally graduated to the big time and if this storming album didn't do it for them, then nothing would have. Moving on from their typically lad-driven sound, this record was heavily influenced by psychadelia but it was a change in direction that suited them perfectly. Their songs proved them band have more substance than their previous two releases gave them credit for. Kasabian's new found success has spurred them on so much that they aim to have their next album out at the end of this year; if they manage it, it will be most interesting to see if it ends up sounding too rushed, and what direction they take next (sources say it's already quite Nirvana-esque).

Noah and the Whale - First Days of Spring
Moving on from their pop-folk sound, NATW undeniably released one of the most emotionally heart-wrenching albums of last year, or perhaps even of the decade. It's not often that a guy puts his emotions on such blatant display, but lead singer Charlie Fink took the risk and it most certainly paid off. Anyone who can make it to the end of the album without a tear in their eye needs to check they actually have a heart.

The Maccabees - Wall of Arms
After receiving much acclaim for their debut release, the Maccabees managed to pull off the difficult second album with mature success. Much like Noah and the Whale, their follow up release showed a somewhat darker side to the band, with deeper lyrics and less ambrosial fluff. The gap in between their debut and second releases also gave the band more time to gel together on stage and made them ones to watch on the gig circuit.

The Temper Trap - Conditions
These New Zealanders made a definite impression with their debut single release, 'Sweet Disposition', which seemed to be forced onto us via the medium of film soundtracks, adverts, various tv shows and of course, radio play, towards the latter part of 2009. Luckily for us, it's a great song. Their ethereal indie sound captured the attentions of music listeners everywhere, and the band have already sold out three dates at Shepherd's Bush Empire in a few months' time based on their debut single alone. Not bad going. 2010 is the time for these boys to prove they are more than a one-hit wonder, and they certainly have the potential to do so.

Other releases worthy of a mention:
Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
Alex Turner proves these Sheffield lads are more than polo shirts and witty lyrics.

Muse - The Resistance
If someone had told us two years ago that Matt Bellamy and co. would cross Knights of Cydonia with Freddie Mercury, we'd have laughed. Somehow, it works.

Hockey - Mind Chaos
Indie rap never sounded so good. And they're from Portland! Who'd have thought it.

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
After years of unjustly flying under the radar, these French boys finally gained some commercial recognition with their catchy pop tinged with a touch of electro.

Overly Processed Beats

After years of playing 'smaller' London venues such as Brixton and Somerset House, this November saw Kasabian finally graduate to the big time as their bought their mix of psychadelic indie-rock to the prestigious Wembley Arena.

Their most recent offering, 'West Pauper Ryder Lunatic Asylum' is undoubtedly one of the best releases of the year, and heavy hitting songs such as Fire, Vlad The Impaler and Underdog are more than capable of working the crowd up into as much of a frenzy as their older tracks do. Yet the buzz surrounding their impressive progression since the last record has apparently caused lead singer Tom Meighan's ego to substantially expand, and it's far from an attractive trait. I'm not saying that the band shouldn't be proud of the way their sound has developed or the fact that they write some bloody good songs. But they have openly declared themselves ready to take over Oasis' position at the top of the UK musical food chain and in the process, Meighan in particular seems to have inherited Liam Gallagher's unsavory attitude.

I am not adverse to swearing in conversation; it can often add a bit of spark to the somewhat dreary monologue of life. However, Meighan has introduced it into his repertoire to such an extent that it sounds artificial and contrived; quite the opposite effect I presume he intends it to have. Whilst bandmate and head songwriter Serge Pizzorno stays silent, cutting a bitingly cool self-assured figure to the left of the stage, Meighan struts about only to stop and pose frequently in such a stereotypical head-down-arm-up-in-the-air pose, it's as if he was reading a 'How to be a Rock God' manual before he came onstage. Instead of portraying himself in a rock and roll fashion, he comes across as a imprudent lout who uses football matches as a reason to start fights and excessive alcohol usage as a reason for justifying said outlandish behaviour. In turn, the crowd react in a similar manner and before you know it, it's turned from a good ol' singalong of Cutt Off to men violently shoving each other about and throwing beer and other unidentifiable liquids over the surrounding audience.

Kasabian used to have an endearing confidence that saw Meighan banter with the crowd and jump about the stage like a kid on a trampoline. Fast forward a couple of years and the kid has been replaced by a surly teenager who appears to be acting a certain way in a vain attempt to try and impress his mates. Meighan should realise by now that he doesn't have to shout and rile everyone up in order to create a reaction; the music will do that by itself.

When push comes to shove

As anyone who knows me will be able to tell you, music is one of my major passions in life. Finding a great new band is like discovering a diamond in amongst a crate of rocks, and listening to bands who have been around for as long as you can remember is like cosying up to your favourite blanket as a kid.

One of the best things about music is going to gigs. Not only do you get to see in person the people whose work floods your ears 24/7, but you get to experience it with hundreds of other people who possess just as much bundled enthusiasm as you. But I don’t want to go and see an artist pre-possessing the knowledge that I’ll have bruises all over me and beer in my hair by the end of the night. If you’re at a festival, you might even have the privilege of being soaked by thrown cups of piss.

Seeing Kasabian on Friday night, I sauntered in and headed straight to the second row. Part of me was excited I was going to be so involved in the action, whilst the other part hurriedly tried to convince me that having a decent view wasn’t worth an hour and a half of being elbowed and jumped by people twice my weight. Nevertheless, I stood my ground and in many ways wish I hadn’t. I didn’t enjoy the night very much at all – not because the band weren’t great musically, quite the contrary. But I had to put so much time and energy in keeping myself from literally being trampled, that I couldn’t enjoy the music.

A lot of bands say that UK audiences are quite unlike any other, and I have to say I agree. If you watch footage of gigs in Japan for example, it’s often very civilised and occasionally audiences will even stay seated throughout the duration (though that’s far from my idea of a fun gig). When I saw the Kooks in America, the crowd were having a great time, but at no point did I see anyone being pushed or throw their drink over someone else. The last Kooks gig I went to over here, I had four beers thrown over me and a thirty year old guy tried to pick a fight.

It seems to be the older men, rather than the kids, that cause the most havoc at gigs nowadays. When you’re younger you can almost get away with getting into a bit of a fight with someone outside the school gates. Getting into a brawl on the pavement aged thirty has far different repercussions. It’s almost as if people act violently at gigs because they don’t have a chance to otherwise. Watching a lot of their faces, you can see them plotting their next ‘accidental’ shove rather than a look of genuine excitement.

It’s only the minority that act like this but ruin the experience for so many more people than themselves. I don’t want to be forced to stand at the back so I don’t get hurt by some drunk arse who has got a bit too much pent up aggression that he needs to get rid of. There’s a time and a place for men throwing punches and that’s at the boxing ring, not in the front row of Brixton Academy.