Kasabian at Alexandra Palace

Kasabian took their devoted fans on a sweaty trip back to 2012 in Alexandra Palace on Saturday night.

Newly appointed frontman Sergio Pizzorno came onstage to a heavy, thudding bass and hyper four-to-the-floor drum beat. He had donned a leopard-print faux fur coat and a football shirt with a style and demeanour that brought to mind a hype man version of Liam Gallagher. The first song was Rocket Fuel off their latest album The Alchemist’s Euphoria.

“It’s gonna be a great night, isn’t it? It’s Saturday night, let’s lose our fucking minds,” he directed the audience, before launching into Underdog and Chemicals.

The sound felt so heavily produced, it was hard to discern the various musicians’ input. Vocals on tracks, massive subs and layers of reverb made the members of the band look and sound small. Drummer Ian Matthews shone throughout the show with his thrilling and outright euphoric performance.

The arrival of a strong female guest singer for Scriptvre livened up the audience. It was soon time to slacken the pace: a prop bus shelter appeared, where the band sat down and performed an acoustic version of Processed Beats, off their first album.

Cutt Off eased the crowd back into Kasabian’s big, driven sound with hypnotic energy and melodic chants. Almost every song was an anthem, the sold-out venue roared with fans’ singing and jumping. Intermittent whoops of “Sergio! Sergio!” made it feel like a home football match – everybody united in their devotion to the team onstage. Age groups spanned from late twenties through to sixties.

“What are you doing tomorrow? Fuck all! Let’s get the whole room moshing!” ordered the singer. The last song before a brief intermission again boasted incredibly authoritative drums, which, more than anything, else got the crowd jumping and singing joyously together to a grand, extra long outro to Cutt Off.

The rock band left their biggest hit to the end, Fire rousing the crowd one last time before the lads took a bow.

Original singer Tom Meighan’s absence was sorely felt. His had been a key component of the band’s sleazy rock’n’roll personality. Pizzorno’s hype man antics paired with excessive production made it feel more like a live DJ set at times. Regardless, the energy and commitment onstage were undeniable.

Jennifer Sanin
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events visit Kasabian’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Fire here: