Underworld opened the first night of the 2023 series of live events in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust, the second night of music came from Wet Leg, and on the penultimate night of this wonderful festival, Kasabian headlined making this their fifth headline gig at the Royal Albert Hall in aid of the charity.
Before Kasabian rocked the Royal Albert Hall for the fifth time, support came from The K’s and The Snuts. The K’s proved to be very unassuming. It was hard to believe with frontman Jamie Boyle’s broad Earlestown accent how he could produce vocals powerful enough to perform leading roles in musicals. Furthermore, Boyle was able to make his vocal style fit in with the band’s ethos to sing guitar-based songs about true, authentic everyday grit. Playout “Aurora” demonstrated the band deserved to share the stage with the indie and rock guitar masters that had previously graced the Royal Albert Hall.
Main support came from The Snuts who brought with them the energy they delivered at recent sell-out headline Brixton Academy shows. The Snuts got the crowd to involuntary sing along to their hits including “All Your Friends.” The crowd at this sold-out show praised The Snuts fearlessness when they played their political finger-pointing “Zuckerpunch”.
When Kasabian entered the stage all eyes and lights were on frontman Sergio Pizzorno’s bright, busy, and matching tracksuit. New songs including “Rocket Fuel” had all the bounce and vitality one would expect to find in a vibrant dancehall. It was clear when “Club Foot” followed and Pizzorno commanded the Royal Albert Hall to “jump like fucking maniacs”, within less than ten minutes, everyone was Pizzorno’s to command.
When Kasabian played “You’re in Love with a Psycho”, one could see how the band had influenced artists such as Viagra Boys and Sleaford Mods. Kasabian showed homage to past masters by synchronising antithetical sounds by fusing Twenty-One Pilots beats, “Fool on the Hill” verses with ELO-style strings on “SCRIPTVRE”.
Since 2004 when the Leicester band become renowned for fusing the best of electronic sounds with traditional indie rock, it was interesting to hear “Processed Beats” performed acoustically. “Cutt Off” also received the acoustic treatment. Where “Cutt Off” and “Processed Beats” blossomed with stripped-back purity, “STARGAZR” then demonstrated how the band had continued to progress as EDM masters.
Fans embraced everything because the band had perfected the art of order of play. “Bless This Acid House” following the encore earned Sergio and company further elated maniacal behaviour. “L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)” came next and the show ended with “Fire.” As adrenaline-high fans exited the Royal Albert Hall singing “I’m on Fire…..” it was evident that Kasabian had delivered a show with an amazing beginning, middle and end.
With five Teenage Cancer Trust gigs under Kasabian’s belt, the band understand the important work Teenage Cancer Trust does and continues to support this charity. The K’s frontman Jamie Boyle summed up Teenage Cancer Trust better than most as “a fucking brilliant cause”. May Kasabian, their support acts and the many great bands on the British and international music scene continue to play at the Royal Albert Hall in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust for many years to come.
To donate to Teenage Cancer Trust please visit here.
Be the first to comment