Kasabian

Kasabian at Ally Pally. You've got to admit it's got a ring to it. Could this be a defining gig for one of the best new bands Britain's seen for while? It feels like it could be similar in stature to when Blur played the same venue just over 10 years ago as Parklife was taking off. Except of course by that stage Blur had three albums of material to showcase, whereas Kasabian's rapid ascent means they're still gigging their debut album. Then again what an album it is, a pounding, relentless call to arms with anthemic melodies sprawling across every track.

The initial signs are good. The bus ride from the tube station is rammed full of excited revellers all helping create a buzz. There's even the obligatory comedy dealer, a cross between Mr C and Tyres from Spaced, enquiring if anyone fancies purchasing one of about 3000 pills he is openly flashing around. Then the venue itself looks magnificent in the dusk light. A picture of Victorian grandeur on the outside it follows on naturally to restrained decadence inside. All that's needed now is a hands in the air victory lap from the band and we'll be talking bona fide event.

What a shame then that when the band do arrive they seem to get lost in a venue this size. The light show suffers because the great hall isn't dark enough for it to be effective, and the atmosphere doesn't seem to carry. The songs are still good. It's impossible not to start punching the air during “I.D.”, “Cutt Off” and “Running Battle” and “Processed Beats” sees everyone transported back in time to 1991 with a suitable outbreak of baggy dancing. But there's something lacking; that special component that lifts a gig from being ordinary into the realms of legend.

What this means is that when the pace inevitably drops halfway through the gig and the weaker album tracks and new songs are aired things really begin to unravel. The band begin to lose people's attention and suddenly it becomes very apparent just how flat and tasteless the beer is. The great hall starts to become less splendid and more like a warehouse. And all the time in the distance Kasabian are introducing us to new songs Like “Stunt Man” which they've claimed “will surprise people”, but in fact sound pretty average. Even normal home banker “L.S.F.” doesn't really pick things up but instead sounds disappointingly formulaic. And there is an attempt to usher the band back for the encore by singing the refrain from “L.S.F.”, but it's half hearted and not the sound of 6000 people. Of course Kasabian do return for an encore, but by then catching the bus back to the tube ahead of everyone else seems like a more appealing proposition.

So what does this mean for Kasabian. Is this simply a case of biting off more than they can chew, or is it more sinister than that? In these days of marketing over substance are Kasabian the indie equivalent of a pop idol winner. Have we watched them being hyped to a level they can't sustain, and now we're going to watch them fade away just as quickly as they arrived. Personally I hope it is a case of the arrogance of youth propelling them to take on a venue they're not ready for after only one album. I also hope they learn from it. The problem is I can't now escape the notion that somewhere behind Kasabian there are some shadowy puppeteers seeing just how far they can push their latest project before it implodes.