Kasabian triumphantly set fire to a sold-out Finsbury Park on Saturday night, delivering a setlist packed with turbo-charged hits. The Leicester band, established festival headliners for over a decade, have weathered changing trends, industry shifts, and a line-up change following former frontman Tom Meighan's departure. Despite their divisive reputation, tonight's show was the only one of three north London gigs to sell out in advance, proving the enduring appetite for Serge Pizzorno and his band.
No Messing About with the Setlist
On a balmy summer evening, the band wasted no time, launching straight into the raucous 'Club Foot' with its signature 'oosh' chant, now over 20 years old. The set avoided meandering deep cuts, featuring only two songs from the upcoming album 'Act III': the wonky 'Superpowers' and the propulsive, mosh-ready 'Hippie Sunshine'. Pizzorno, never one to prioritize anything other than maximum crowd reaction, kept the energy high throughout.
Pizzorno's Frontman Energy
Sporting a denim jacket adorned with painted female faces possibly referencing The Slits, Pizzorno made it easy to forget he wasn't always the frontman. At 45, he bounced down the runway into the crowd, leading pogos on 'Shoot The Runner' and turning the glitchy electronics of 'Treat' into a 30,000-strong rave. While newer cuts like 'Italian Horror' and 'Coming Back To Me Good' felt weaker, turbo-charged hits quickly restored full blast.
Massive Hits and Crowd Participation
'Days Are Forgotten' sounded huge, its epic chorus reaching the park's edges where other artists have struggled with volume. Pizzorno called for 'people on shoulders time' as 'You're In Love With A Psycho' segued into Justice vs Simian's 'We Are Your Friends'. A brief cover of Faithless' 'Insomnia' dropped into 'Vlad The Impaler's call to 'get loose', while 'L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)' closed the main set with the crowd still singing its riff.
Encore and Finale
Returning in a T-shirt emblazoned with 'Fins-bur-eh', the band played 'Bless This Acid House', a football montage anthem. A final, incendiary 'Fire' was preceded by Pizzorno's challenge: 'We've been playing this song for 15 years, but I feel like this will be a seismic shift.' While not a shift, the show maintained the hefty level Kasabian have held for years, a feat not to be underestimated for a band in their third decade.
