Browse Sections
Interactive
Popular Sections
Partly cloudyMagazine
Likely lads taking over Oasis baton
by David Sue8/12/2006
IN nearly all of his interviews to promote Oasis' greatest hits
compilation Stop The Clocks, Noel Gallagher has spoken repeatedly
of his need to "pass the baton".
By that, he's referring to finding a band who can pick up Oasis'
big-rock- big-attitude mantle, the sort of band who rise above the
Indie slums and unite the country in a big populist,
stadium-conquering way like Oasis had done a decade
previously.
For all of Oasis' usual cockiness, you have to admire Gallagher's
honesty and humility.
If their "best of" album offers any gleaming insight, it's that
Oasis' best days are clearly behind them.
Kasabian's best days, on the other hand, are just ahead of them. Of
all the bands lining up to collect that big baton, the Leicester
four-piece are the ones clearly most mentally attuned to the
job.
In their case, it's not necessarily about the songs. The Arctic
Monkeys, even Pete Doherty on a good day, are better, more tuneful
songsmiths.
But what Kasabian have had, even since they crash-landed into the
music world in 2004, was attitude and bucketfuls of it. In press
interviews, the band's supernova confidence and bitchy insults made
Liam Gallagher seem like a shrinking violet by comparison.
While their self-titled debut album was fine, though not
spectacular, it was in the live arena where those Oasis comparisons
made perfect sense.
Headlining the second stage at Glastonbury last year, Kasabian's
prole-rock struck a chord with the blokey masses and reignited the
kind of fist-pumping bravado and boozy euphoria of Oasis' best
shows.
It's no surprise at all then, that at a recent Kasabian show at
London's Astoria venue a certain Noel Gallagher arrived on stage as
special guest and played guitar.
Oasis and Kasabian are now very close friends and (unsurprisingly)
massive drinking buddies.
If you're after a gesture of baton-passing, it doesn't get any more
symbolic than that.
"It's amazing when you get to meet your heroes and they don't let
you down," says Kasabian guitarist Serge Pizzorno of this new
alliance.
"We were brought up on Oasis, like everyone of our generation was.
They were the one band who inspired you to pick up a guitar, form a
band and make something of yourself.
"They were normal working class lads just like us. You could
identify with them.
"That was dead inspiring. So to have Noel play on one of the tunes
was totally mindblowing."
Attitude and Noel Gallagher patronage will get you only so far,
mind, so this year, there was almighty pressure for Kasabian to
walk it just as brilliantly as they talked it.
With second album Empire, they're just about getting there.
The attitude, the songs, the chutzpah are less secondhand, the
sound of a band who are actually getting to be as good in reality
as they are in their heads.
This month's mammoth arena tour might be an ambitious move for a
band who are still only on their second album but, as ever with
Kasabian, confidence clearly is no issue here.
Consider that Oasis baton well and truly passed on.
Pizzorno says. "It's an adventure. We're four lads from Leicester
who believed it, willed it almost.
"I see our job as to keep the spirit of the people up. We're for
all those people stuck in crap jobs, working their b*****ks off for
two weeks' holiday a year.
"You have to have ambition, otherwise there's no point in even
being in a band is there?
"That's what Oasis taught us and we want to keep that going."
Kasabian play the MEN Arena on Monday.
Got an opinion you want to share?| Company | Typical APR |
| Platinum Exclusive Loan | 7.8% |
| AA | 7.9% |
| Sainsbury's Personal Loan | 8.2% |
| Alliance & Leicester | 8.7% |
| Lloyds TSB | 8.9% |
| Abbey Personal Loan | 8.9% |
| Provider | AER* |
|
ICICI BANK HiSAVE Savings Account |
4.50% |
|
FIRST DIRECT Everyday e-Saver |
1.75% |
|
SAINSBURYS FINANCE Internet Saver |
2.25% |