Kasabian Interview

Cementing their title as one of the biggest bands in the world, Kasabian have returned in 2014 with a new record and a headline slot at the mother of all festivals, Glastonbury. Following in the footsteps of its predecessors, ‘48:13’ has seen huge success, peaking at the top spot in the UK album chart. But being so experienced in the profession, it’s just another day at the office for the foursome. To discuss their position in music today, we had a chat with lead singer, Tom Meighan, about album titles, crowd surfing and live shows.

Hi Tom! Where in the world are you right now?
I’m in Leicester.

Brilliant. How is it today?
[Laughs] It’s sunny actually; it’s not raining, which makes a change.

So Kasabian are back with a brand new album after three years. With three consecutive UK number one albums before ‘48:13’, is there any pressure when you release an album now?
No, we’re not bothered. Y’know, I’m 33; I’ve got a kid. We’ve done all the pressure. The pressure was when we were younger. All we do is make music. For some reason it works and that’s why we’re still around. More than anything, we enjoy writing the albums now. The first one’s your baby and you’re not used to it. The second one you feel a bit hot if it doesn’t succeed compared to the first one. It’s been a blast, so we don’t really think about it anymore. We just keep making music.

You’ve said previously that the album is stripped right back and you had the confidence to lay yourselves bare. Why was now the right time to do something different?
We were at a crossroads, that natural transition of changing, and just looking for a different style. I think it’s good that we change because bands need to change. You can’t stay on one thing and be happy with that. We went to Electronica and Hip-Hop drums and listened to a lot of influences that gave us a different approach this time.

You came back with a bang this year, releasing ‘Eez-eh’ and then cementing your return with a headline slot at Glastonbury. Was it all you expected it to be?
It was incredible. I said to the band, “By the time you blink, it will be a piece of history” and it’s been and gone. It was wonderful, a really defining moment in our lives, and it’s evolved with us as well. Amazing.

You’re touring nationally in Australia, do you think you’ll get any down time whilst you’re here?
Not really, just in and out basically! [Laughs] I think we’ve got one day off in Sydney and that’s it. That’s really sad.

Oh no! Well, we see you crowd surfing in the video to ‘Bumblebeee’, so what’s the wildest thing you have actually done on tour?
I can’t tell you! [Laughs] I’m not allowed to tell you that!

Have you been a regular crowd surfer?
No. Never. I’m not into that [Laughs]

You have so many great anthemic hits including ‘Club Foot’, ‘Cut Off’, and ‘Fire’ which, with all their catchy riffs and hooks, make them so much fun to listen to whether on record or live, and this is evident in new single ‘Bumblebeee’. What’s your process for each song? Do you aim for them to be huge live tracks?
I don’t know whether we’re that kind of band. The songs just happened. We don’t have a plan, it’s just what happens in the studio and we have to transform it live. We don’t mean to do it, we just have that big atmospheric feeling, and we’ve got some good tunes now. It gets harder to do set list, but that’s great.

Speaking of your ample amount of hits – what’s your personal favourite?
They’re all great in their own way. I like doing the new ones because it’s all new and nice, you show people across the world for the first time. With the old songs, we’ve kind of revamped them, refreshed them – you’ve got to do that.

You can’t play the same set over and over.
Nah, you can’t. You’d be like a machine, a robot.

What was it that you wanted to put across with ‘48:13’?
We just wanted to make our mark, stamp our feet on the ground, which we have done now.

Why did you choose the length of the album as the title?
It’s simple. We’ve always done bloody silly titles for our albums like ‘West Ryder’ and ‘Velociraptor!’ and I had to keep explaining it to people! I wanted to call the record ‘Volume Five’, but ’48:13’ came in and I thought “Great, that sounds fantastic.”

As you’ll be non-stop touring for the next few months – what will you guys request on your rider?
Loaves of bread. Cheese. Ham. Vodka. Gin. Whiskey. Sambuca. The same old shit – Skittles. M&Ms.

As well as playing in Australia, you’ll be playing back in your native UK towards the end of the year – what do you like about performing on home turf?
It’s just nice, we’re so used to it. We try to make our shows as good as we can and we put a lot of thought into it. Playing home is amazing, but we love taking it to another country – it’s more of a challenge.

Do you get the same interaction everywhere you go?
Everywhere’s different but so far it’s been groundbreaking. Superb.

When you’re not playing, recording or rehearsing what kind of music do you like to listen to?
I’m listening to Jagwa Ma at the minute. They’re an amazing band. I listen to all sorts; I was brought up on Motown so Stevie Wonder, James Brown… But it switches around, like I love Jack White’s new record.

Thanks for your time, Tom, and we look forward to catching you on tour!

Watch Kasabian ‘Bumblebeee’

By Charlotte Mellor