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Concert Wed Oct 01 2014
Photos/Review: Kasabian @ Cabaret Metro 10-1-14
England's Kasabian has yet another hit album with 48:13 and easily sold out the Metro with fans who danced and knew every word. As this photographer/reviewer was walking into the Metro, she overheard someone explain."Kasabian is like Oasis only with.a better sense of humor" and there is some merit in that. They write and rock out with the kind of songs people feel good dancing in a club to with all of their friends and they aren't about to let their presence be weighted down by a bunch of heavy ballads.
Additionally, their songs have a kind of quirkiness and melody mixed in with some of the edginess at times recalling Primal Scream a but with some hard hitting drum beats for good measure. In some ways, it's hard to believe the band was first incarnated 17 years ago but on the other hand they do wear a tight sense of accomplishment on their sleeves. Still, they present as a band that sound like truly fresh riding stars with the energy bands tend to have when playing with all their might. They played such powerful songs as well! There wasn't one song in their 75 minute set tart sounded remotely dull. You get the feeling that even though the Metro is quite a small club for them compared to the venues they play in England, they are committed to making each show count and impressing their audience and they accomplish with a rich grandeur and ease. It's pretty easy to be won over by their charm. Basically, it's quite easy to envision seeing them and hearing their crowd pleasing songs in massive arenas. That's just the type of winning appeal the tracks carry.
Kasabian are also great fun to watch live with their interesting dance moves and more typical rock poses. They have a nice intensity to their body language and sense of engagement with their audience. One sensed that they generally enjoyed being on stage performing. Their dramatic lighting, especially leading into crowd favorites also rose the anticipation level quite a bit throughout their set!
Setlist:
Opening for Kasabian, Japan's four piece Bo Ningen walked the tightrope between blissful psychedelia and blistering assault. Their short but profound set probably set off all kinds of alarms in various sympathetic nervous systems across the audience and yet many still clamored for more. With music so loud, it's challenging to think about and remember anything in your current or past life because you're so entirely filled with the sensation that takes you hostage.
