There was a huge party in Leicester on Saturday night (July 6), at the city’s Victoria Park. The sun was shining, and 35,000 vivacious music fans gathered to see Kasabian – the biggest band to come out of Leicester.
They took to the stage for ‘Summer Solstice II’ – a homecoming gig of epic proportions. As lead singer Serge Pizzorno made his entrance, the crowd roared for their spirited hometown hero – a man with a wild look in his eyes and plenty of swagger.
Very soon, the band were into one of their best known hits, ‘Club Foot’ and the crowd went wild. As Serge stomped and swore his way around the stage, spitting lyrics with fierce intent, I knew we were in for a great night – and also why this band are so popular in Leicester and beyond.
Their songs are anthemic, aggressive and fuelled by gritty intensity. It’s hard not to get carried away by the vibe and the rebellious energy of the band, which is powerful and relentless. With Serge at the helm, you get the feeling that anything can happen – and probably will… (England reached the semi-finals of the European Championships during the course of the gig, beating Switzerland 5-3 on penalties). Of course this fuelled the crowd, and the party atmosphere further…
“This town is an underdog town. It’s night like this you dream about growing up – nights like this – bringing everyone together,” Serge told the crowd.
At times he plunged into the masses to greet his fans with fierce abandon and then instructed them to bounce, jump and go “f@*king crazy.” As you’d expect, there were plenty of expletives and fans were only too happy to oblige, and agree to the wishes of their wild-eyed idol.
By the chorus of the last song, ‘Fire’, (one of Kasabian’s biggest hits), the energy was off the charts and you could feel every reverberation under your feet. The band’s drummer Ian Matthews pounded the drums with unbroken zeal – putting in an impressive shift (and then some!)
Adrenaline surged throughout the park – an electric energy which was commanded and controlled by Serge – the dynamic and charismatic front man who took over from Tom Meighan in 2020.
“7 billion years has brought us to this moment – right here now. This is your moment – our moment together,” he told the crowd. “So let’s do this song bigger than it’s ever been done anywhere in the world!”
The band played a mix of older songs, plus ones from their latest album ‘Happenings.’ Whether you’re a fan of their music or not, you can’t deny that Kasabian are a great band to watch live and an absolute credit to Leicester.
In a statement, Kasabian hailed Saturday night (July 6) as the “greatest night of their lives.”
“Together we took the city out of the stratosphere that was the greatest night of our lives.
“They were the biggest drops we’ve ever seen and the buzz for the ‘Happenings’ tunes were off the scale,” they said. “Thank you to all the Kasabian massive for creating pandemonium and all your love and support.”
By Louise Steel
