Express & Star

Kasabian, O2 Academy, Birmingham - review and pictures

Indie rockers Kasabian have come a long way since their cracking debut album in 2004 and on Thursday night the four-piece proved why they're here to stay.

Published

I've seen Kasabian five times to date but a sweaty gig in an intimate venue was undoubtedly going to be special.

A Birmingham gig ahead of the release of their new album is a dream for any Kasabian fan - and around 3,000 tickets, the equivalent to gold dust, were unsurprisingly snapped up within minutes.

From headlining Glastonbury to supporting Oasis back in the day and touring arenas around the globe, Birmingham was in for a treat to say the least.

The O2 Academy filled up quickly before Kasabian kicked off their 90-minute set - the bank holiday was about to begin and starting it with Kasabian wasn't too shabby.

The four-piece, who are yet to release a bad album, opened the set with new single You're in Love With a Psycho, taken from their upcoming album For Crying Out Loud.

In the midst of hundreds of fans jumping, pushing and shoving each other around, Tom and Serge could be seen with little to do - the sold out audience were eating out the palm of their hands.

Bumblebee and Underdog were up next, sending the crowd into a stir.

But hearing their self-titled debut album classic Club Foot was when things cranked up a notch.

Pints and bodies were thrown around the front half of the standing area.

Empire, Stevie, L.S.F, and Re-Wired went down, obviously, a storm.

Hearing them live in a venue the band haven't played in for years was a momentous occasion and the band didn't miss a note.

New songs including Bless This Acid House and Comeback Kid still kept the audience on their toes - although I'm not quite sold by them in comparison to their earlier hits, there's still time.

The setlist, featuring a range of hits from the last 13 years, made the 90 minutes fly by.

But hearing thousands of voices scream back the lyrics of Fire was when things came to a saddening close.

Kasabian are on top of their game right now and they still have even more to come.

Thursday's Birmingham gig was without a doubt a special one, and one that probably won't ever happen again.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.