Dave Chamberlain

The idea behind Kasabian was inevitable: youths come hurtling out of the UK Midlands' house, hip-hop and hardcore scene, discover the addictive bounty of the rock `n' roll jangle, then proceed to combine their youthful endeavors with the latter. This quartet from Leicester has hit the top hard and fast, with its eponymous debut having gone gold and kick-starting the band to play England's Reading Festival, as well as getting the record's big track, "L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)," a spot on the "FIFA 2005" videogame. (On another tip, a British journalist from The Sunday Telegraph called Kasabian "the hound's testicles.") Spacey and infused with Britpop's DNA, Kasabian is more likely to integrate the energy of house music than the actual elements of it--the record is, after all, a rock `n' roll record aimed at rebellious youth. The record--despite the fact that the band takes its name from the getaway driver in the Manson murders--is hardly a rowdy endeavor, and the fact that member Tom Meighan once said "Fuck the Americans, I'm sick of your fucking three-minute scuzzy garage-rock shit," should provide clues about the final product. Exclude all the periphery crap, though, and this record was destined to happen; it's pop enough for Oasis fans, psychedelic enough for drug fans, and so danceable that it might start luring house heads out of the clubs and into live music.

Kasabian opens for The Music, March 2 at the Metro, 3730 North Clark, (773)549-0203.

(2005-02-22)

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