Sweet n Sour at the Welly Club 22/07/2004 Kasabian/Mad Action/The Landaus By Andy Dykes

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Photograph Gallery   The Landaus Gallery 1   The Landaus Gallery 2   Mad Action Gallery 1   Mad Action Gallery 2   Kasabian Gallery 1   Kasabian Gallery 2

After Mad Action and before Kasabian come on, I'm approached by a man who gives me my quote of the night. He says, Paul Turner was there and he thought it was great. That was said by Paul Turner, I presume. And I thought it was great too. Coming on after Mad Action, Kasabian have a tough act to follow. I've heard a lot about them and expectations are running high. Just before they're due to come on, a bunch of idiots beside me begin chanting Caspian! Caspian! It's annoying, but I resist the temptation to correct them.

The Welly Club now looks about as full as it could be. I'm pleased that so many people have braved the weather. It's a been a good night so far. Kasabian stroll onstage at about half eleven. Initially there's four of them and they begin jamming: weird noises at first, then BANG! into a very cool instrumental that gets everyone's heads nodding.

It's now that the singer walks on and the crowd go wild. The whole band exude a strange kind of energy, that pulses with the rumbling electronic driven music. It's a very exciting, very cool beginning to the set.

One thing I notice about Kasabian is that they have the art of dynamics down to a T. Often, their songs have sections of emptiness where an instrument or two don't play. And not in the conventional way either. At times, the drums will drop out and sporadically rejoin the noise, or perhaps bass, maybe guitars. It's an unusual compliment to pay a band, but they do silence very well. They keep their audience on their toes.

Once again, I'm a little lost for a comparison. There are shades of The Cooper Temple Clause in there. But I think Kasabian take the sound of early 90s indie dance, like Primal Scream and some of the Stone Roses' stuff, and give it their own spin. They rework it for an audience of the new millennium. While Primal Scream are still plying their trade, their direction these days is more electronic. Kasabian on the other hand maintain more organic, guitar based sensibilities. They have a truly exciting sound.

The crowd also seem to be buzzing off this band. Everyone is paying attention. It's not just about the music though. Kasabian put on a great show. It's like watching a great cult movie before most people have heard of it. Everyone here is captivated. They know they're watching something special.

While for the most part Kasabian rock like granite, from time to time they throw out some more ambient tracks. But these are ultra powerful too. I don't think they can help it. They never let up. With their haunting atmospherics, dynamics and hooks, they epitomise everything that's right with the way music's heading. They're unbelievably tight, and once again, the drummer in this band is an absolute gem. The whole band seem to love it, and so does the crowd.

They end the set with a thrilling track, full of pulsing beats and vitriol, and then they're gone. It's about a quarter past 12. A lot was expected of Kasabian tonight, especially considering they had a band as good as Mad Action supporting them. But man, they beat my expectations to a pulp. I am totally wrapped with this band. I want more. Apparently they've got an album due out in September. I'll certainly be adding that to my collection.

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Photograph Gallery   The Landaus Gallery 1   The Landaus Gallery 2   Mad Action Gallery 1   Mad Action Gallery 2   Kasabian Gallery 1   Kasabian Gallery 2

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