Kasabian

A night of light and shade for Kasabian, who at the New Age in Roncade did win over the approval of most of the crowd, selling the place out (already three weeks before the show), but failed to convince those expecting far more than a role as arrogant Oasis copyists. Their bullish, borderline cocky attitude somewhat spoiled the atmosphere of the show, which didn't entirely live up to expectations. Of course, the hardcore fanbase of the Leicester band — which, unsurprisingly, overlaps heavily with that of the Gallagher brothers — clapped and happily pogoed in the front rows throughout their set, which, it must be said, was on the whole a solid performance thanks to all five members, even if Meighan's voice was at times drowned out by the instruments. The problem is that, despite the "spectacle" of the singer's sunglasses, despite the fact that their first three albums are all well-crafted (even if there was a gradual dip in quality from the first to the third), and despite the good bite and commitment on display, the concert always seemed on the verge of taking off without ever quite doing so: the energy and emotion conveyed tonight were not abundant, much like what you get these days at an Oasis show — a band Kasabian have, not coincidentally, always been fans and imitators of.

The setlist, which drew heavily from their latest album, "The West Rider Pauper Lunatic Asylum", while all but ignoring the underrated "Empire", left those who prefer their first two records unsatisfied. One positive of the evening was that the sell-out crowd and the band's big name meant there was no need for a support act, so all attention was on them from the start. The opening is disorienting, with the b-side "Julie & The Moth Man", an electronic track that, truth be told, isn't especially original or engaging, though the crowd clearly enjoys it and applauds enthusiastically. Pizzorno, styled as usual with long hair and a thick beard in the manner of the legendary Frank Serpico, is already thirsty and bends down for a nice cold beer. The audience is fully behind him even as he launches into "Underdog", slightly limper live than on record. The following "Where Did All The Love Go?", one of the tracks where producer Dan Nakamura's touch is most audible, is enjoyable too, but there always seems to be something missing — that extra quality that turns a simply good show into a memorable event.

The attitude of the two frontmen inevitably calls to mind Liam shaking his tambourine with Oasis, and Tom, the singer, seems to imitate him even when, believing himself original, he jokingly tells Italy to fuck off (as if, at this point in history, it hadn't already gone there…). The lighting is spot-on and the sound is decent too, thanks in part to the New Age's ever-reliable sound engineer, but it comes across as a bit too one-note for the whole night, despite Serge's constant guitar changes. The tension drops with "Shoot The Runner", one of their weaker singles, and with the tedious "Processed Beats", too indebted to the early-90s British sound that bands like Primal Scream brought to a wider audience.

The instruments are always precise and powerful, and the drums really stand out on the hit "Fire", a fairly successful attempt to fuse rock and dance.

Moving on to the other tracks from the show, the standouts are clearly the gorgeous "Empire", pompous in just the right measure, "Fast Fuse", a sturdy piece of electro-garage whose opening riff recalls the Yardbirds' "Stroll On", and above all "Club Foot", the most significant song and the sharpest arrow in their quiver. The latter is preceded by a short intermezzo and is played with real rock swagger, and despite its name — and the fact that we're actually in a club — the singalongs and enthusiasm it draws are worthy of a stadium.

The encores include the lead single from their latest album as well as one of Pizzorno's own favourites, "Vlad The Impaler", whose drawn-out intro is a bit too close to "Processed Beats", and the song that launched them to worldwide fame, the irresistible "LSF".

In the end, Kasabian put on a good show and clearly won over most of their fans with an enjoyable set, but after tonight it's safe to say they're not quite as good as they think they are.

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