The Leicester band’s eighth album is 28 minutes of exhilarating energy, aided by Serge Pizzorno’s hype-man enthusiasm.
Twenty years ago, Kasabian’s self-titled debut album launched the Leicester band and propelled them on a journey towards household name, chart topping and festival headlining status. Many wrote off as lad rock Oasis wannabees, but there was always more to them than first met the eye. An infectious fusion of indie, dance and psych-rock with grubby dancefloor-filling capabilities. Much of their longevity was built around their ability to excel within a live environment and this quality is heavily tapped into again on Happenings.
Their eighth record is the second album without original frontman Tom Meighan (you can read about the bitter fall out elsewhere), typically possessing a collection of feel-good, people pleasing tunes designed specifically (some might cynically…) for audience participation.
Kasabian have always been an easy band to sneer at both critically and by the music snobs. Neither were they a band you’d listen to for a sense of intellectual curiosity or emotional depth, two important caveats going into their latest. Instead, Happening’s 10 tracks over 28 minutes flies through with exhilarating energy and Serge Pizzorno’s hype-man enthusiasm.
There’s a surprising variety on the band’s eighth record to keep matters engaging. The frenetic-riffed hard rock of ‘How Far Will You Go’ has Kasabian as chaotic as they’ve ever been, almost channelling the vibrancy of early Queens Of The Stone Age. ‘GOAT’ gives them a funky, lighters in the sky moment with a Pink Floyd-esque solo adding intrigue, while ‘Coming Back For Good’ has them chasing beachy, feel-good vibes in ode of Australian electric dance duo Empire of the Sun.
Ok, so the “ey-ey-eys”, “oh-oh-ohs” and “oh-eeh-ohs” heard throughout are a little cringe, but performed to a crowd of enthused thousands, those words easily slip out in an act of joyful release. “We’re not here for a long time / we’re here for a good time” admits Serge on breezy album closer ‘Algorithms’ and its a mantra summarising Kasabian’s enduring, non-pretentious appeal. An appeal that shows little sign of waning after Happenings.
7/10
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