Review: Kasabian

Fans are left gasping for the new album as the band rock Newcastle

29 August 2008 - Huge black shades, a waistcoat with a massive rose and a rockstar swagger.

Tom Meighan walked onto the stage with his arms held in a messianic pose to the roar of the crowd.

Shoot the Runner set the tone for an incredibly charged sell out gig at Newcastle Academy on 28 August. The joint was literally jumping from the word go. A sea of arms stretched out following their charismatic leader.

More old favourites followed with Sun/Rise/Light/Flies, Cutt Off and then Processed Beats. While the rest of the band kept a low profile, Tom was characteristically vocal throughout the night – rousing the crowd to sing and telling them how good they sound.

The shades then came off to introduce a new track from the eagerly awaited 3 ^rd album, due out early next year.

Fire proved a big hit with its Primal Scream-esque electronica indie sound. The band had been working on it for the last seven months were clearly pleased with the audience reaction.

Reason is Treason got a massive cheer and the pogo-ing stepped up a gear for Me plus One.

This was followed by ID but as soon the synths started on Empire, everyone went mental and the beer started to really fly.

At one point Meighan was conducting the crowd like a rock maestro. With Fast Fuse and The Doberman, the band teased the audience by taking them on a rollercoaster ride culminating in an impressive crescendo accompanied by a mass singalong.

Kicking off the encore with Club Foot, the crowd surfing pogo-ing fans drowned out the lead vocals and the beer showers took on a life of their own.

The Leicester lads then walked off stage and if that had been it, I suspect the audience would have gone home satisfied. But this live act showed no danger of stopping.

Moments later, they came back on to a rapturous applause. Kicking off the encore with Club Foot, the crowd surfing pogo-ing fans drowned out the lead vocals and the beer showers took on a life of their own.

The venue was hot, sticky, packed and illuminated by strobe lighting - a perfect environment for Stuntman, a dance rock crossover track. No wonder their headline gig at Creamfields last weekend went down a storm.

A brief cover of The Source’s 1991 house hit You Got the Love was sung by guitarist Serge Pizzorno. This morphed into LSF and the crowd exploded bringing Meighan to his knees.

Casually leaning on a drum kit now, Meighan grinning like a Cheshire cat, surveyed the crowd singing along to just a drum beat working up to a climatic finish. The band seem as delighted as their audience.

Meighan thanks them for a fantastic night, but then decides to make it even better for one fan. “Who wants the f***in tambourine?” And with that he flings the instrument into the crowd.

Sharuna Sagar