Across the Pond: Glastonbury headliner Kasabian earned success with steady improvement

There’s something about the British Isles that consistently produces musical greatness; it is inherent to the country, its people and its culture. Popular culture has been defined by bands and artists from the UK; they have consistently created new genres and musical subcultures – from the Beatles’ psychedelic rock in the ’60s all the way through to the explosion of dubstep and drum ‘n’ bass in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Every week, “Across the Pond” will cover a British artist, or an aspect of British music, that has defined modern culture.

For a British band, there are few moments better than playing a headlining set at Glastonbury. A glance at past lineups reads like a who’s who of influential musicians: Arctic Monkeys, Blur, the Rolling Stones, Muse and Coldplay are just some of the festival’s recent headliners. To headline at Glastonbury is, for a British rock band, the ultimate stamp of approval, a sign of reaching the absolute pinnacle in terms of popularity and cultural significance. Every year, once the lineup is announced, the British media dissects the headliners, deciding whether they are fitting of Glastonbury’s incredible legacy and this year, it was Kasabian’s turn to be debated upon before finally being inducted into the pantheon of great British bands.

Kasabian’s journey to the main stage at Glastonbury has been one of steady progress rather than immediate success. Unlike its contemporary, the Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian did not burst onto the scene with a game-changing single like “I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor” or a classic debut album like “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.” Instead, each of Kasabian’s records has been a progression from its earlier works, and it is only recently that the band has found stratospheric levels of success.

The group’s early releases were considered good, but not great; the band displayed a knack at producing danceable rock ‘n’ roll, but seemed to miss the X-factor – Alex Turner’s easily relatable lyrics for the Arctic Monkeys, Pete Doherty and Carl Barat’s chemistry for the Libertines – that had propelled other post-2000s British bands to both critical acclaim and mainstream popularity. Yet with each release, Kasabian refined their sound – the choruses grew catchier, the guitar riffs more noticeable – and finally had its major breakthrough with the release of 2009’s “West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum” and the popularity of singles “Underdog” and “Vlad the Impaler.” The album was nominated for a Mercury Prize, and would go on to be named as the best album of the year by Q Magazine. Following the release of “West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum,” Kasabian went on to release “Velociraptor!” in 2011 and “48:13” in June this year.

Able to channel Oasis, the Stone Roses and Blur at its best, Kasabian produces songs that are immediately noticeable and eminently danceable. Belting out anthemic choruses, lead singer Tom Meighan is built for the big stage, able to control a crowd and get them to join him in a beer-drunk sing-along much like Oasis frontmen Liam and Noel Gallagher. All this has led to them becoming music festival darlings, playing the likes of T in the Park in Scotland prior to its headlining set at Glastonbury this year.

Having finally conquered Europe by closing the biggest festival of them all, Kasabian are setting its sights on America, and will play at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles on Oct. 8, following in the footsteps of the Arctic Monkeys, who toured the U.S. extensively this summer.

Often labeled a “poor-man’s Oasis” by sections of the British media, Kasabian’s rise to superstardom in the UK has been built on the successful formula that the brothers Gallagher perfected in the ’90s – big choruses, sing-alongs and pop-rock numbers that fit stadiums perfectly. It still remains to be seen if an American audience will be receptive to Kasabian’s dance rock, but having conquered Glastonbury, Kasabian will fancy its chance of success.

– Ishan Rampuria