The 10 Songs We NEED to Hear on Kasabian's UK and Ireland Arena Tour
Wednesday, 06 November 2024
Written by Jack Butler-Terry
Photo: Neil Bedford
For all the talk of rock music having died over the past couple of decades, Kasabian sure have done alright for themselves. The Leicester-based band has been on a tear since their self-titled debut album in 2004, firmly planting themselves in that conversation of biggest British bands.
Now as they embark on a UK arena tour in support of their eighth album Happenings — rolling through Birmingham, Glasgow, Dublin, London and Manchester — it feels like the perfect time to dive into their body of work and highlight the 10 tracks that we most want to hear from Serge Pizzorno and company over the next few weeks.
L.S.F (Lost Souls Forever)
It’s somehow been 20 years since Kasabian’s debut album and for any FIFA players out there, even longer since they heard L.S.F (Lost Souls Forever). The psychedelic garnish atop this marvellous mix of guitars and electronics seems to transcend generations, borrowing from every era and creating a superb mass introduction to the band.
I.D
On first listen, you’d be forgiven for thinking I.D. is an interlude, as layers of space-age synths and effects stretch out into the ether, but when the vocals kick in somewhere within the maelstrom, it becomes clear that Kasabian are a creative force to be reckoned with.
Fire
Let's cut straight to it — aside from Kings Of Leon’s Sex On Fire, there's probably not been more of an arena-sized rock anthem than Fire in the past two decades. This song sounds as though it was written with the sole intent of being screamed by 20,000 people and, as such, it's a foregone conclusion for all future Kasabian setlists, but with bloody good reason.
Shoot The Runner
Pizzorno may have only stepped up to front the band following Tom Meighan’s departure in 2020, but he’d been belting out Kasabian’s biggest hits for a while. The anthemic Shoot The Runner was the first single he sang on but he’s only grown as a performer since then and the track sounds better and better every time they play it.
Switchblade Smiles
“I just wanted to capture the sound of violence,” Serge once said of Switchblade Smiles and it certainly does just that. Written about those people with a wicked grin that warns and intrigues in equal measure, the song’s dreamy intro vocals mask a dangerous and edgy undertone, before giving way to pulsating synths and battle cries that makes it feel like you’re getting into the fight of your life.
Stevie
It's been 10 years since Kasabian’s middling fifth album ‘48:13’, but Stevie remains a diamond in that particular rough. A song about standing for what you believe in, the defiance and drive shines through and that massive chorus of “All the kids they say, live to fight another day,” is just the kind of optimism we could all do with.
Bless This Acid House
If you were to describe Bless This Acid House in just one word, it’d be ‘euphoric’. Melding the sensibilities of mid-90s Britpop with a hefty dose of nostalgia, the track is utterly intoxicating. It’s impossible not to get swept away in the “Woah-oh-oh-ohh” and the collective singalong could lift the roof off of any UK arena.
Chemicals
Kasabian’s sixth album ‘The Alchemist’s Euphoria’ ushered in a new era for the band with Pizzorno stepping into the frontman role while really extending himself as a creative mind. Chemicals is a fantastic snapshot of this, combining those festival-ready choruses and jangly guitars with a more contemplative veneer that does away with the lad-rock tag they’d previously earned.
Italian Horror
Leaf through Kasabian’s back catalogue and you’ll find plenty of quirks. They’ve never been afraid to mesh disparate sounds and genres to make their own brand of music, and Italian Horror is just the latest example of a song that is absolutely steeped in quirkiness. Bright, mysterious keys decorate a funky bassline and catchy hooks to give Happenings one of its highlights and we can’t wait to hear this out on tour.
Algorithms
The lead single for Happenings may have dropped more than a year before the album did, but Algorithms has lost none of its charm. The song is far more vulnerable and delicate than we’ve come to expect from Kasabian, but that’s what makes it a real stand out entry in their catalogue of singles.
Kasabian Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Fri November 08 2024 - BIRMINGHAM BP Pulse Live
Sat November 09 2024 - GLASGOW OVO Hydro
Mon November 11 2024 - DUBLIN 3Arena
Fri November 15 2024 - LONDON O2 Arena
Sat November 16 2024 - MANCHESTER Co-op Live
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