Serge Pizzorno has addressed firing former frontman Tom Meighan from the band Kasabian.
Meighan was fired from the band in 2020 after being convicted of assaulting his partner.
Pizzorno, who has since taken over lead singer duties, spoke to The Guardian on Tuesday about the decision to sack the former frontman.
"The summer when Tom left was absolutely heartbreaking," Pizzorno said. "It felt like leaving home and coming back and seeing it burnt down, walking round the ashes, seeing old pictures and artefacts and picking things up and sifting through the destruction. It was an intense time."
He added that "it always amazes me" how fans are so aggrieved about the band not giving Meighan a second chance.
"There's way more to it. Who in their right mind would sack a frontman if there wasn't cause?" he explained. "Over the years, there have been some tough moments. I don't want to go into them because I feel like that's the band's business."
Since his firing, Meighan has begun a solo career. Pizzorno expressed Kasabian's support, saying all they "ever wanted was for him to be happy... So if he's happy doing that, then great."
Pizzorno said he had not spoken to Meighan since their post-court meeting. Meighan pleaded guilty to assaulting his then-fiancée Vikki Ager and was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid labour in July 2020. He and Ager married a year later.
