Kasabian Put A Fire In Dublin!

Thursday 23^rd August, a dull, bleak day with what could only end up a bright outcome. Setting off on the laborious coach journey from Belfast to Dublin, couldn’t help but feel like a scientist on the edge of a life changing discovery. Arriving at the bus stop in Dublin City Centre we saw the vast crowd of Kasabian fans, waiting eagerly to make the short journey from the City Centre to Marlay Park.

It was clear from the bus journey the atmosphere would be electric, speakers belting out Kasabian classics, almost able to be heard over the loud fans religiously singing lyric for lyric every song. Oasis songs were sung like hymns for the youth just as they were upon release over a decade ago, as relevant as ever. We departed the bus and made the short walk to Marlay Park. The venue was deceitfully tranquil as we all know that once the Leicester boys take to the stage tranquil would be far from the right adjective.

First up were the Wakefield trio of crazy brothers, The Cribs. For those unfamiliar The Cribs are a big sounding three piece combining catchy indie riffs, reminiscent of those played by ex-Smiths guitarist and temporary Cribs member Johnny Marr, with the raw almost grungey sounds of Nirvana to create a unique sound. Opening on single ‘Come On Be A No-One’ from their latest 4^th studio album ‘In The Belly Of A Brazen Bull’. Known as an exciting live band, The Cribs didn’t disappoint, they rattled through several new songs as well as classics ‘I’m A Realist’ ‘Hey Scenesters’ and ‘Mens Needs’ while Ryan casually smoked through almost as many cigarettes as they played hits. After finishing ‘City of Bugs’ Ryan proceeded to throw his signature green Fender Jaguar at his amp several times before detuning and playing us a dirty out of tune solo through high feedback. Proper Rock ‘n’ Roll way to end a quality set, the Jarmans have that rockstar quality that has been somewhat lacking in many more popular bands around currently.

An anxious wait followed the Cribs set, as you could sense the excitement build up for Noel Gallagher’s set. Upon taking to the stage Noel thanked the crowd for coming out before going straight into ‘It’s Good To Be Free’ with an overly bass driven sound, overpowering his vocals throughout. After requesting to his roadie to have this fixed before he played another song, it was sorted or so we thought. After only a few bars of the ‘Don’t Believe The Truth’ album track, Noel’s vocals were abruptly cut as were the rest of the electronics. Noel staying in good spirits tried testing his microphone before the band left the stage for the error to be resolved. After a lot of angry chants and a prolonged wait Noel and co returned to stage only for the same problem to reoccur yet again, the band leaving the stage more swiftly, out of what seems frustration at the lacklustre venue. More angry chants ensued, as well as a tension as to whether the issue could be resolved in time for the High Flying Birds to complete their set. As the skies opened it looked as if this wasn’t to be the organisers, or fans day. Many raindrops and busy looking roadies later, Noel took to the stage, 3^rd time lucky. After joking “All it needed was 50p in the metre” they launched into the popular single ‘Everybody’s On The Run’ with the tension being released through the energy of the crowd, many singing word for word a song from a support act, a rare occurrence normally, but Noel Gallagher is the exception to many rules. Russell Pritchard’s backing vocals help add a new dimension to many of the songs live including ‘Everybody’s On The Run’ when him and Noel sing in perfect harmony. He then played the upbeat ‘Dream On’ which had the crowd jumping and then the romantic sing-along of If I Had a Gun, sung beautifully by Noel, and slightly less beautifully by the crowd, but very loudly nonetheless . His acoustic version of the first Oasis single ‘Supersonic’ went down a treat as did ‘Talk Tonight’ and ‘Half The World Away’ before finishing up on ‘Whatever’ and the stadium anthem ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ with a little help from the Marlay Park crowd, Noel left the chorus for the crowd to shout word for word a song he probably barely remembers writing back to him. The influence of this song was a reminder for us all just why Noel had cheekily set his ‘God-Like Genius Award’ on top of his amp during his set, some may say that putting the like in is pointless,  a God to many.

Now for the big one, the one everyone has been waiting for, the world has been waiting for it seems.  The NGHFB’s gear was swiftly  moved off stage to make way for Kasabian. As the sun and many beers went down everyone stared corner stage waiting for Tom, Serge, Chris and Ian to come on stage and blast into their favourite songs. Casually walking on Kasabian sent the crowd mental before powering into ‘Days Are Forgotten’ off new album ‘Velociraptor!’ sending the crowd into pandemonium, arms flailing, vocals shouted and people being pushed around left right and centre, chaos. The band then launched into fan favourite the Glam Rock of the empire era ‘Shoot The Runner’ with the catchy guitar riff being sung along to by the passionate crowd. The band then rattled through the bassy Velociraptor! And huge single Underdog before getting the crowd jumping again to ‘Where Did All the Love Go?’ before giving us time to recover with a rendition of the ‘E.T.’ theme tune leading into opening track of ‘Velociraptor!’ ‘Let’s Roll Just Like We Used To’ giving Tom’s powerful vocals a chance to shine over the minimal guitar part of the verses. The lights then went green and anyone who has seen Kasabian before knew what was coming, I.D! The synth based song with the trippy lighting and the mesmerising grooves of Ian Matthews drums is an experience to be had live. Tom sings ‘Music is my, my love’ a fitting lyric, true of everyone in attendance. Tom then leaves the stage, letting Serge take the spotlight with his vocals on the upbeat psychedelia of Take Aim before performing a beautiful rendition of the Korgis track ‘Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime’. Tom then rejoined his band mates on stage and said ‘This one’s and old man from when we were young, I’m an old man now” before the intoxicating Club Foot riff kicked in, Serge chanting ‘Mosh pit, mosh pit!’ and Serge was obeyed as disorder broke out, everyone wildly jumping about. Then then played Re-Wired and old favourite Empire and everyone was glad for a rest as Tom dedicated a cover of Fatboy Slim-Praise you to Noel Gallagher, a hats off from his band to one of their main influenes, before a genius transition into the athematic L.S.F. Receiving an overwhelming roar from the crowd. The ‘na na na’ part of the song was sung for minutes after the music had stopped and the band left the stage. What a show that was, but there was more to come. As deafening chants of ‘Ole Ole Ole Ole’ rung around the park the band rejoined us, Tom mouthing the Ole’s making the crowd even louder. The haunting switchblade smiles kicked in before Chris Edwards pounding bass echoed for miles, so loud you could feel it hit your chest. When the song kicked in so did everyone’s jumping, it was as if you were playing rugby and had the ball, insane.  Serge requested for the whole field to jump when the next song kicked in before the unmistakeable ‘Vlad The Impaler’ bassline tore through the air, before everyone flung themselves about chanting ‘Get loose, get loose!’ as the electronic breakdown kicked in Serge instructed everyone to go as mental as they had ever gone before, and once again his command was adhered to, the crowd going as nuts as a crowd I’ve ever seen. The end was near, we all know what was coming, you could feel it burning, Fire! From the opening note is was obvious why this is a fan favourite, and when the chorus hit everyone was bouncing in unison, trying their best to sing the high ‘ooh ooh ooh ooh’s’ despite many, myself included having lost their voice far earlier in the set. As the song ended, the band reprised it, bringing the loudest crowd participation of the night.

 A fantastic set by one of Britain’s biggest bands at the minute, seeing them live makes it all the more clear why they were nominated for the ‘Best British Band’ Brit award. The support line-up is definitely one to beat for future gigs, with two outstanding bands warming the crowd up despite the number of technical difficulties. In conclusion a poor venue for an unforgettable gig.

written by Chris Hanna
photos by owen