Live music

Non-fans of Kasabian would be forgiven for thinking they accommodate a niche market over here and command modest crowds on tour. But anyone dropping into the O2 in Dublin last Saturday night would have quickly realised that the Leicester lads have a very large, loyal and, quite frankly, crazy fanbase.

After a gentle start with the B-side to Underdog, Tom Meighan and Co soon had the minions worked into a frenzy.

Despite their hard man and foul-mouthed image, Kasabian have lost none of their popiness since their self-titled debut album and their current offering, Velociraptor, mixes hard rock anthems with ballads and even a respectable nod to 80s electronica that would make White Lies jealous. On Saturday night they moved seamlessly between the highlights of their four albums, proving their position at the top of the indie rock charts. They might shy away from terms like ‘pop’, but how else do you describe almost 13,000 happy followers singing every word and gyrating like teenagers for almost two hours? Or the ‘perfect pop-song’ singalong nature of Shoot the Runner? Of course rock-out classic Vlad the Impaler was the ideal choice for the encore.

Walking back up the quays, long after the band had left the stage, thousands of voices were heard recalling, in unison, the ‘nah, nah, nah’ chorus of Fire.

Now, that’s the legacy of a great gig.