Photographs by Sean Chin.
On Tuesday September 30, 2014, British neo-psych rockers, Kasabian were back in Toronto in support of their latest effort, 48:13. Prior to their show at the Sound Academy, I didn’t know much about Kasabian. I did read about their success in the UK and heard good things about their past show at Kool Haus, so I was anxious to see all the fuss was all about.
All sporting their best rock hairdo (Serge I’m talking about you) and outfit, Kasabian kicked off the show with their most recent single “bumblebee”. Due to the dirty instrumentals, the song has been labeled the heaviest track of the band’s five-album discography.
The first half the show was a slow burn. Their set was an eclectic mesh of favorites and newbie’s. I’ve come to realize with bands such as Kasabian, sometimes it’s all about the performance than bringing the hype. Other than the usual thank yous, for most the evening they said very little. The band was focused as they ripped through their instrumentals while Tom and Serge were compelling on vocals.
Before their encore, the pace started to pick up when they performed “Club Foot”, “Re-Wired” and “treat”. This caused the Toronto crowd to mosh and sweat in all their drunken glory. 48:13 may not have been a hit with fans but newer tracks like “eez-eh”, completely won over the crowd as they chant the lyrics in unison.
Unfortunately, seeing Kasabian in concert for the first time wasn’t a mind-blowing experience for me. Yes, this band is good on stage but don’t expect anything more than your average. But I think for long-time fans seeing them live is more than enough. The night ended with an impressive cover of Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You”.
