~ July 7th, 2009, Cambridge, U.K.
Written by: Andy Stewart
By an unexpected set of circumstances I found myself at a Kasabian concert in Cambridge on Tuesday night. The concert was a solo outing by the band ahead of their opening act duties for Oasis this Saturday.
Although I knew about the show, I quickly dismissed it as a pipe dream since the show had been sold out for weeks. As I said however, the wonders of life’s unexpected surprises provided me with the opportunity to get into the show not only for free, but with a VIP Guest List pass around my neck.
So, there I am standing in a packed (beyond capacity) Corn Exchange in Cambridge, when it dawns on me that I’m watching a band on the verge of breaking huge in support of the third album The West Rider Pauper Lunatic Asylum. This band defines rock and roll swagger and just exudes confidence on stage.
Now, that’s not to say that there is no room for improvement. The inter-song exchanges with the audience at certain points in the show felt a little plastic, but gained genuine warmth by the time the encores came to a close. At times the band seemed lost in the lights of their set, but when they blasted through it was unbelievable the energy they exchanged with their audience.
I had the advantage of being a fan of the band prior to the show, as well as having become quite familiar with the new album (if you haven’t given it a listen, do yourself a favour and start with the track “Fire”) and I went with someone that had never heard of them. On the strength of that show alone, my partner in crime for the night has secured their entire catalogue. That alone confirmed how ready this band is to break through globally.
I can’t say that I took notes on exactly what I was listening to, but the main favourites were there; “Thick as Thieves”, “Fire”, “Vlad the Impaler”, “Underdog” and “Empire”. All delivered fiercely and with a complete commitment by the band, and enjoyed raucously by the fans. So much so, that as the venue emptied all that could be heard was the chorus of the final encore being bellowed by the entire audience as they left the building.
Nothing speaks more to the power of a band than it’s affect on those that just witnessed the group live and the impression this band imparted on its fans was incredible. I was glad to be a part of it, and I can’t wait for the repeat show at Wembley this Saturday.
Andy is on assignment in the UK, which means he’s there on business but is taking in live shows and graciously writing reviews for us!
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