Serge Pizzorno also tells us why Slaves are supporting them on tour
Kasabian have spoken out about what a guitar bands needs to survive in 2017 – citing their road buddies Slaves as an example. Watch our video interview with guitarist Serge Pizzorno above.
Having previously claimed that their latest album ‘For Crying Out Loud’ would ‘save guitar music from the abyss‘, the band discussed how difficult it was for bands in 2017 – discussing how only them, The Libertines and Arctic Monkeys had discussed the era of early ’00s UK indie.
Now, speaking to NME backstage ahead of their epic headline set at Reading & Leeds 2017, Pizzorno has said that bands need to be ‘fearless’ and ‘more entertaining’ – paying tribute to their upcoming support band Slaves for their spirit. .
“We’re playing with Slaves on our arena tour. When we played the stadium in Leicester, they supported and they were the first band we ever played with that weren’t scared,” Pizzorno told NME. “They just took it on. It was a very partisan crowd as you can imagine, and they approached the gig like we used to when we’d play with bands. We’re all mates and that but when we’ve got our half-hour, this is our gig.
“They’re incredible, they’re really entertaining, and that’s what we’ve missed. Watching kids play guitars with their heads down is fine, but when someone comes on and just takes it by the throat and gives you a show – it’s fucking amazing. They have great tunes and aggressive punk songs too, but they’ve got this charm to them that’s really special.”
Kasabian at Reading & Leeds 2017
Adding that bands need to be ‘for the people’, Pizzorno continued: “You have to discover your own way of getting there. How it works for us is that we do our own thing, but we’re all aiming for the crowd to be transported to somewhere they never thought possible.
“It’s a bit of a fucking shout, but you want people to come away and say ‘fuck, that’s literally changed my life’. You have to figure out how you’re going to do that. You can get them into a trance, or you can mosh them to hell, or you can go on there with a loop pedal – however you want to do it.”
Pizzorno also told NME about why Kurt Cobain was one of ‘the true greats’, and why they chose to cover Nirvana’s ‘All Apologies’ – as well as teasing plans for ‘something special’ in 2018.
Meanwhile, Kasabian’s upcoming UK tour dates with Slaves are below. Tickets are on sale from 9am on August 31.
November
Fri 24 – NEWCASTLE, Metro Radio Arena
Sat 25 – GLASGOW, The SSE Hydro
Sun 26 – ABERDEEN, BHGE Arena
Tues 28 – DUBLIN, 3Arena
Thurs 30 – MANCHESTER, Arena
December
Fri 1 – LONDON, The O2
Sat 2 – LONDON, The O2
Mon 4 – CARDIFF, Motorpoint Arena
Tues 5 – LIVERPOOL, Echo Arena
Thurs 7 – LEEDS, First District Arena
Fri 8 – BIRMINGHAM, Barclaycard Arena
Sat 9 – BIRMINGHAM, Barclaycard Arena
The post Kasabian discuss what it takes for guitar bands to survive appeared first on NME.