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KASABIAN |
When
you come from a city like Leicester,
there’s little to do except listen
to music, watch football and get
drunk. Or, if you’re Kasabian, attend
raves with a fervour bordering on
the obsessional before deciding that
you’d be better off making your own
music. As singer Tom Meighan puts
it: “Why be in a band? Because it’s
the only thing I could do.”
Attending a party at a farmhouse in Rutland, the band got
friendly with the farmer’s son and decided to stay. In the
splendid isolation of the former textile mill, Kasabian created
a studio and packed it with analogue synthesisers and vintage
guitars before taking the first tentative steps towards writing
their own material.
Tasking their cues from the cocksure swagger of Oasis and
the pulsing beats of the rave scene that inspired them, Kasabian
set about forging a new brand of rock’n’roll for the 21st
Century. Rather than taking their music to the masses, Kasabian
brought the masses to the music by holding a series of raves
and mini-festivals at their farmland base camp.
It wasn’t long before Kasabian were snapped up and their
ascent from support band to festival headlining act has been
nothing short of breathtaking. Storming the charts with the
likes of "Club
Foot", "LSF" and "Processed
Beats" , their eponymous debut sounds more like
a greatest hits album than a first effort.
What’s more encouraging is the fact that this is only the
beginning!
Download Kasabian now
or subscribe
to Wippit.
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KAISER
CHIEFS |
Kaiser
Chiefs formed in Leeds in the summer
of 2003 with the express ambition of
blagging themselves an early slot at
the Leeds festival. Not the loftiest
of aspirations to be sure but everyone’s
got to start somewhere, right?
Originally created by school friends Simon Rix (bass), Nick ‘Peanut’ Baines
(keyboards) and Nick Hodgson (drums), the trio spotted the
unmistakeable sight of singer Ricky Wilson when the art school
graduate was fronting a Rolling Stones tribute act. Persuading
him to leave – the Stones were already doing a decent enough
tribute to themselves - the nascent band swiftly recruited
the services of guitarist Andrew White.
Having named themselves after a South African football team,
Kaiser Chiefs decided to follow the example of Britpop heroes Blur and write
about what they know. This turned out to be songs about being skint, relationships
on the skids and the horrors of chucking-out in Britain’s city centres. Just
an average day in Leeds, then.
Their debut single"Oh
My God" was released on an independent label
and reached 66 in the charts through excited word of mouth
while the follow-up "I
Predict A Riot" dented the Top 20. Securing
the services of producer Stephen Street (Blur, Morrissey,
New Order), Kaiser Chiefs evoked the spirit of Britpop with
the stunning "Employment" album.
Having secured the nation’s affections through a combination
of memorable singles and exhilarating gig, the goals remain
modest. Says Ricky: “I won’t stop until I’ve got an apartment
in every major city in the world: New York. Helsinki. And
Harrogate. But above all, I want a new filling for my tooth!”
Download Kaiser
Chiefs now or subscribe
to Wippit.
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