I went to see Kasabian in Manchester and they were on 'fire'


In what was the four-piece’s final show of an epic 2024 that has seen them achieve their latest UK No.1 album with ‘Happenings’ to go alongside their ‘secret’ set at Glastonbury and a huge hometown show in Leicester, Kasabian put on a masterclass in Manchester to serve as a reminder that they are one of the great bands of their generation.
That’s certainly no exaggeration from my part either. Having been fortunate enough to attend countless shows this year, I can safely say that Kasabian comfortably cracked my top ten shows of the year. And that’s no small feat given I’ve seen the likes of Liam Gallagher, Travis Scott, The 1975, Foo Fighters and Stevie Nicks to name a few.
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Hide AdBefore I dive into Kasabian’s performance, how enjoyable were The Streets? Admittedly, Mike Skinner’s project isn’t something I’d normally listen to, but I was left impressed at how engaging and crowd-friendly the five-piece were. In a set inundated with Gladiator 2 references, Skinner and co got the crowd bouncing with anthems such as ‘Blinded By the Lights’ and ‘Fit But You Know It’.
Suitably warmed up, a 30-minute wait for the arrival of Serge Pizzorno and co quickly passed and after a rendition of Beatles classic ‘Hey Jude’, a video package documenting memories from the ‘Happenings’ tour was played, which asked the Manchester audience if they were ‘ready for a happening. Needless to say, they were.
As Kasabian stepped onto the stage, the Co-Op Live was transformed into a euphoric frenzy. The standing pit erupted into one large mosh pit and beer pints were sent flying as the Pizzorno belted out ‘Call’ in an explosive start to the evening. The energy never dipped from there as the band maintained a relentless pace, with tracks such as ‘Club Foot’, ‘III Ray’, ‘Underdog’, ‘Shoot The Runner’ and ‘Re-Wired’ followed in quick succession.
Cutting a confident and energetic figure on stage, frontman Pizzorno is the blueprint for what you want in a modern-day frontman. He has a presence on stage that could charm a Grizzly bear, and with charisma and energy in abundance he had the audience in the palm of his hands throughout the night.
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Hide AdAfter the frenetic start, Pizzorno stopped to soak up the atmosphere of the endearing Mancunian audience before animated renditions of ‘You’re In Love With a Psycho’, ‘Coming Back To Me Good’ and the gothic-inspired synth hit ‘Italian Horror’ follow to drive the crowd into a state of ecstasy.
As Kasabian closed out the first portion of the set, tracks such as the atmospheric ‘Stevie’, the uplifting ‘Comeback Kid’, the funky Justin Timberlake-esque ‘Hell of It’ and fan-favourites ‘Empire’ and ‘L.S.F’ offer a nice variety of hits from several eras of the band as well as great opportunities for a singalong and a chance to serenade Pizzorno.
To close out the evening, Pizzorno urged the audience to bring every last drop of energy in their arsenal and to leave a mark for the band’s final live song of 2024. A riveting rendition of ‘Fire’ that left the walls of the Co-Op Live visibly shaking to the sound of deafening screams to end an unbelievable evening on a high.
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