Being Extremely Professional Music Journalistsâ„¢, we usually like to take a few days to gather our thoughts whenever we’re invited to review a gig.Â
To us, it just seems like the sensible thing to do. After all, how could one humble reviewer possibly offer a fair, balanced, and nuanced critique of a rock-and-or-roll gig when they can still practically hear the final bars of the encore rattling around their tiny little brain? Journalism is no laughing matter, and we hold ourselves to the very highest standards of journalistic integrity; so, it’s a general rule around these parts that we always take a bit of time to unwind before we type out our thoughts on any given gig.Â
But occasionally, dear reader, rules do have to be broken; it’s just the way the world works. Sometimes even the best-laid plans must fail to come to fruition, and the highest standards of journalism must be compromised in the name of offering a review that fairly summarises the essence of the event we’ve just attended to you, our dearly beloved readership.
That is why, as we sit here at 11:58pm in a dimly-lit living room, dripping in sweat, beer, and numerous other fluids that we’d prefer not to think about in too much depth, we find ourselves surprised at the fact that we’re about to offer up our thoughts on Kasabian’s super-intimate show at Bristol’s O2 Academy to the wider world.Â
But, in our defence, there’s a good reason for this. Our thoughts are so precious, so well-developed, and so articulate, that we simply can’t wait another moment to share them with you.
They are, to put it concisely: OH MY FUCKING GOD, THATWASABSOLUTELYBLOODYMENTAL.
We’ve never seen anything quite like it
There is, without a doubt, a very good reason why Kasabian are a stadium-sized band. That, dear reader, is because they write the kind of songs that only sound right when they’re being collectively bellowed by thousands upon thousands of stomping, sweaty bodies. These aren’t rock songs, or even pop songs – they’re anthems, in the truest sense of the word.
So, when we heard that a band of their calibre were bringing their stadium-sized songbook to the relatively intimate confines of Bristol’s 1600-capacity O2 Academy, we were expecting it to be a rather lively evening. Alas, cherished reader, to say that it was ‘lively’ would be somewhat akin to saying that Gary Lineker is rather keen of crisps. It was, in essence, absolute carnage.
From the moment the band strode onto the stage and launched into Ill Ray (The King), it felt like the roof was about to come off the building; and, by the time they were done, this humble reviewer had been well and truly reduced to a shaking, quivering, tinnitus-suffering wreck. There’s just something about the opportunity to jump around like madmen to songs like Underdog, Shoot The Runner and Fire – which were, coincidentally, our highlights of the set – that we just can’t turn down, and it seemed like everyone else in the vicinity felt the same. Oh, and for what it’s worth, we can guarantee that you would’ve been having just as much fun as we were had you been there to witness it for yourself.
You see, it’s somewhat impossible to not enjoy a Kasabian gig; especially, of course, one that takes place in such intimate confines.
They’re one of the biggest bands in the country, and to see them in such a tiny space allowed us to see precisely why they’re quite as big as they are. They’ve got a back catalogue that’s packed full of more bangers than an English supper, and they know how to perform it live. Their rhythm section – featuring birthday boy (and Bristol native) Ian Matthews – was as tight as any we’ve ever seen, and the group’s dual frontmen, Tom Meighan and Sergio Pizzorno, are a force as mighty as any man, machine, or Gallagher working in the music industry today.
In case you haven’t guessed, we thought that they were brilliant – and, what’s more we’re convinced that you will too if you ever get the chance to see them. So, the next time that Kasabian come to your town, make sure you nab yourself a ticket and go along for the ride. We can guarantee that you won’t regret it.
