Kasabian
Sydney Opera House
Sydney, AU
March 8, 2017
Kasabian from Leicester, UK are disciples of the Angel of the North, the contemporary landmark of North East England and are quintessentially the embodiment of ladcore, channeling equal parts of Primal Scream, Stone Roses and Oasis-esque snotty attitude in such a refined manner that tin their 20 year existence they have become one of England’s biggest draws.
Now, how does one define “ladcore”?
Let’s see…an energetic danceable mix of electronica supported big rock mélange, borderline religious enthusiasm for the local football club, amps turned to 11 with the lager drenched audience rambunctiously bellowing along every word, cocky Northern England charm and a boisterous elemental approach to rock star bravado courtesy of frontman Tom Meighan.
Following in the footsteps of The Stone Roses’ mode of holding court at Sydney Opera House, “theatre in the Round” was the stage setup tonight, which became increasingly popular in the late 1960s in the UK and Europe, with initially the format proving popular in smaller venues and studio spaces.
It offered the sold out crowd a closer intimacy with the Kasabians and it put the audience in direct view of each other.
A 360 degree sight line meant that large scenery, projections and backdrops were out of the question, which played to Kasabian’s forte as an engaging, charismatic and tight live band: Add vintage Stone Roses, electronically enhanced percussion cum organ and occasional brass inclusion, catchy and energetic tunes with Serge Pizzorno belting out a the occasional down tempo tune, punctuating the loud anthemic show with vocally ambitious mellowed out space age moments, including an interesting interpretation of Daft Punk’s “Around the world” mashed up with their track “Eeez-eh”.
Ten years after first setting a foot on terra australis Kasabian has not forfeited any of its grit and vigor, but has become more refined and seasoned in how they orchestrate their live incarnations and elicit crowd responses at will.
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Photos by KAVV
