Kasabian Biography

Finding the pop music around them dull and mannered, Kasabian mixed a bit of the Stones, Happy Mondays, and Primal Scream with DJ Shadow-influenced electronics to take the British press by storm. Named after Linda Kasabian, Charles Manson's getaway driver turned state witness, Leicester's Kasabian stole a page from Sun Ra and the Band, as the group's members moved into a remote old farmhouse to brew their music. Communal life and shelf after shelf filled with albums by their favorites (Neu!, the Beatles, DJ Shadow, Primal Scream, Blackalicious) produced a rocking sound that wasn't afraid of electronics and harked back to days of baggy pants and druggy dancing. With acerbic answers during interviews, swaggering lead singer Tom Meighan quickly became a darling of the press, and the band's revolutionary logos and sleeve art added to the excitement. Fold-out poster sleeves, 10" versions, and hand-stenciled covers accompanied 2004 singles like "Club Foot," "L.S.F," and "Processed Beats." It all added up to Kasabian's self-titled debut going Top Five on the U.K's album chart in October of 2004. Two years later, while readying the release of their second album, Empire, founding guitarist Chris Karloff quit Kasabian due to creative differences.

David Jeffries.