Kasabian Live at the O2

It’s Friday night, and Dublin’s O2 is charged with so much testosterone I reckon I could sprout a pretty impressive beard any minute now. Britpop indie foursome Kasabian are about to take to the stage, and this predominantly male crowd is writhing in anticipation. 

And the atmosphere remains just as electric for the duration of the band’s performance. It’s no surprise that Kasabian have headlined many a festival – just squint slightly and pretend it’s raining, and tonight The O2 could well be Oxegen’s main stage. The band’s anthemic back catalogue immediately lends itself to that unique festival feeling, with the singalong factor reaching dizzy new heights during Empire’s ‘Shoot the Runner’, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’s ‘Fire’ and Kasabian’s ‘Club Foot.’ Tom Meighan adds to the laddish element with his usual swagger and occasional cries of “C’mon Dublin!!!”  

The big tunes indeed back up the bravado, although slower numbers like WRPLA’s ‘West Ryder Silver Bullet’ (performed as a duet with Lisa Elle of Dark Horses) feels a little lost in a venue of this size. It’s definitely the anthems (and Kasabian certainly have bucketloads of these) that the crowd have come to hear. 

Things take a slight turn for the trippy as The Mighty Boosh’s Noel Fielding suddenly appears onstage for the band’s encore, dressed as Vlad The Impaler (his character from the band’s video.) A quick cuddle with Tom later, and he’s vanished back into the night, leaving us to wonder if he was ever really there at all...

Overall, a hugely entertaining show from a band who do exactly what they say on the tin.