This week Kasabian are returning to America to play their first shows there since supporting Oasis there in 2008. With gigs right across the country, including an appearance at SXSW in Texas they were due to make in the early hours of this morning (15 March), songwriter and guitarist Sergio Pizzorno explains why now the band are finally heading back into the belly of the beast…
In the great tradition of rock bands we got screwed over by the label! They just didn’t push the last record in America so we were sat there saying “There’s no point going over to America half-arsed – if you go there you have to commit to it.” So we kind of concentrated on everywhere else. Now we’ve moved labels and the support is there, so it seems we can now head over and make a good go of it. We’re getting on the radio and people know the record’s out!
I’m saying this sat here at home so I’ve not started it yet, but I’ve got to say I can’t wait! I think it’s really healthy for a band to be put in a situation where they’ve got to prove themselves to people. It’s really inspiring! (though in six weeks I might be going: “Where’s catering, where’s the hat roadie!”) It reignites you and reminds you of why you’re doing it in the first place. It’s like when you’re a kid and you get in a van, some cities care, some don’t, but it’s down to you with what you’re going to do with that. I’m buzzing with that feeling again.
The only problem is in the rest of the world we’re this juggernaut when we tour and we’ve had to streamline that juggernaut for this tour. We’re still doing decent sized venues, but we’ve tinkered with it a bit. Eating is out the window, no food on tour and there will be a six pack of Stella to share between 15 of us! Nah, we’ll be fine, I’m buzzing off it!
All joking aside, we wouldn’t be putting ourselves through it if it wasn’t worth it. We have a following over there, we’re playing a 3000-seater theatre in New York which is a decent sized venue anywhere in the world, people know who we are they just haven’t seen it or heard it live and that’s the other thing that excites me.
Without sounding like a wanker, it’s undeniable: you either love our music or you don’t! It’s not like people will be saying “I’m not sure about these” it will split everyone but because of that, if enough people dig it, it will spread.
There’s not been an English rock band doing well in the States for a while, and there seems to be an affinity there with the Americans. They’ve always dug British bands, so it’s about time that someone came through.
It’s funny, I’ve been thinking about the next one already, I can’t stand still, and I don’t see it being like anything we’ve done before because I can’t do that. I enjoy the risk of it all. It seems far more exciting when you’re not writing music to pay your mortgage off but writing music because you want to experiment. For us, America is a bit like that too.
Sergio Pizzornowas talking to Paul Stokes. Portrait by Gavin Bond
For more head to Kasabian.co.uk
