Kasabian Take On The World

Kasabian burst onto the scene with a curious hybrid of indie-rock swagger and club inspired tunes, playing their part in a crossover in music where bands pull in the same Ibizan crowds as a DJ would and clubbers rave to rock synths. Now, their chart-topping second album ‘Empire’ proves that they are capable of turning their hand to a different, retrogressive sound. Festivalwise caught up with lead singer Tom Meighan and drummer Ian Matthews to talk about being compared to the wrong bands and why they won’t be holding their breath for another performance with The Rolling Stones...

Tom sits back in his chair, evidently demonstrating what he picked up from Liam Gallagher on Oasis’s US tour last year. Although surprisingly charming, his moody stares into the camera, his incessant use of the word "fuck" and the distinctive confident swagger that gives him that ‘I’m in a band’ air automatically gives him membership into the rock star elite. Totally different, drummer Ian Matthews could be mistaken for an actor with his unruly hair and softly Southern accent full of sincerity. Along with Serge Pizzorno, Chris Edwards and Jay Mehler (acting as a live replacement for Chris Karloff, who left the band following “artistic differences”), this shows just what Kasabian are: a bunch of contradictions thrown together to form something in danger of resembling a parody of a traditional rock 'n roll band.

“It’s our characteristics. We’ve got good character as a band and we’re just people and we only make music,” Tom says when asked whether they ever feel under pressure to maintain the rock and roll image they’ve established over the years. “The thing is, the reason why people look at us like rock stars is because we are who we are and we just do what we do.” After branding Pete Doherty as “a fucking tramp”, The Automatic as “horrible” and The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas “a fucking skier”, Kasabian have earned themselves quite the rock and roll reputation. “That’s what they say about Kasabian, you either hate it or love it, it’s not like Coldplay, where you can be in the middle like ‘ah it’s ok, it’s alright’,” Ian explains. “As a journalist you can look at it at and go, ‘Let’s pick it to shit’ or ‘Let's just celebrate it’ and to be honest, our music isn’t like listening to a Miles Davies' album. It’s about having a good time… come to a gig, get mashed and jump up and down, you know what I mean? That’s what we’re about.”

Now they’ve gone all Glam Rock on us. From the hazy pot smoking beats of their debut, their latest offering is full of stomping tracks that fuses 1973 with 1996. Admitting that this new edgy live sound was the result of their relentless touring last year, out went the dark guerrilla style images they had became associated with and in came the softer, ancient ‘playing card’ artwork. Such a change in direction could be seen as a risky move, but Ian isn’t too worried: “As an artist you have to go with your heart, you can’t pander to what you think is gonna sell. You just have to write the way you feel and that goes down the line for anyone… like a painter, has to paint what he sees as his vision, so that’s kind of our position on it. I think in this sense, every fan we lose we’re gonna gain another five.”