Review: Kasabian, Arena Birmingham - with pictures

First up to warm the shivering crowd were raucous London duo Slaves - who bowled on to the stage accompanied by doom-filled sound effects and striking strobe lights.

Storming straight into Sockets and White Knuckle Ride, the punk double had the crowd in the palm of their hand - before smash hit single Cheer Up London incited frenetic jumping and flailing throughout the venue.

"If you wondered why there's only two of us, when we wanted to start a band nobody wanted to join us. We didn't really have many friends," said drummer and vocalist Isaac Holman - though they certainly made friends of the crowd as every little movement they made on stage had them hooked.

Ending on a rip-roaring rendition of The Hunter, Slaves had not only warmed the room, they had whipped up a fiery storm.

A series of Hollywood film studio theme songs rang out across the packed arena - and Kasabian took to the stage dressed all in white to contrast starkly against a simple black background.

This tour comes in support of the band's sixth studio album For Crying Out Loud, and they stormed straight into new track IIl Ray (The King) to mark their arrival.

Despite playing such a monumental venue, Kasabian maintained a raw and stripped back edge throughout their set that many rock bands touring arenas cannot.

Touring guitarist Tim Carter and long-time guitarist Sergio Pizzorno worked their own guitar pedals rather than have a technician do this at the side of the stage - and this care in their craft showed through the music as each guitar chord and solo was simply hair-raising.

They were tied together by the booming bass lines of Chris Edwards, the anthemic drum rolls of Ian Matthews and the crisp, powerful vocals of Tom Meighan, who along with Sergio turned the entire arena into one huge party.

Whether it be asking the crowd to shine their phones, jump as high as they could or start a mosh pit - the crowd obeyed the duo's every command due to their endearing and effortless onstage charisma.

They didn't need to be asked however, the jam-packed setlist of smash hits and brand new singles caused a riot.

From Bumblebeee to Eez-eh, Underdog and Shoot The Runner to You're In Love With A Psycho and Club Foot, the entire room was a mass of dancing and screaming bodies, as were Kasabian.

The whole room was experiencing every note of the music and lyrics in their ears, and it was mesmerising to watch.

Kasabian were joined by a brass section for parts of their set as well as a keyboardist, that really accentuated the anthemic and powerful sound the quartet are best known for.

Despite a stripped back sound, Kasabian utilised the grandeur of an arena with a stunning set finale. A gospel choir joined them for spine-tingling renditions of Put Your Life On It and Lost Souls Forever as Arena Birmingham was hauntingly lit by seas of phone screens and lighters.

Floodlights lit up the room as the choir hit their highest notes, and confetti cannons exploded over the crowd as the entire audience went from crouching positions to leaping into the air - it was truly a sight to behold from up in the side seats.

"We need your help now Birmingham" Meighan announced.

"As you can see on the screens, you can see the decibels in the room. We need you to sing along as loud as you can and see if we can break the record"

And of course, the audience obeyed, reaching highs of 109 and 110 decibels.

Kasabian weren't ready to stop yet however - as a curious old man waving a brief case with 'daft apeth' emblazoned on the side crossed the stage, the encore was about to begin.

Comeback Kid and Vlad the Impaler stunned the audience before classic hit Fire played Kasabian out in a blaze of glory.

The band did not once have to sing the iconic chorus - the crowd did all of the work for them, and continued to do so as they filed out of Arena Birmingham.

Kasabian's first of two nights at Arena Birmingham was a certified success - they delivered a varied and powerful set flawlessly and left the audience totally breathless.