Kasabian

Heart of the Midlands band Kasabian reflect the culture and diversity of the region.

Kasabian sell out stadiums, have headline festivals like Glastonbury and have created cult sleeve art

Kasabian took the British press by storm in the early 2000s by mixing traces of the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, and Primal Scream with Oasis-sized confidence and DJ Shadow-influenced electronics. They sell out stadiums, have headline festivals like Glastonbury and have a created cult sleeve art.

Kasabian debut studio album - Kasabian

Kasabian was the debut studio album by British rock band Kasabian, released on 6 September 2004. Four singles were released from the album; it peaked at #4 in the UK charts and has since gone triple platinum.

Kasabian - Processed Beats

Named after Linda Kasabian

The Leicester-based group had originally recorded several demos under the name Saracuse. However, took the name Kasabian, from Linda Kasabian, Charles Manson's getaway driver-turned-state witness. Kasabian formed in 1997, most of the members growing up and attending the same schools in south Leicester. Originally called Saracuse it was Chris Karloff who suggested the name of Kasabian. 'Kasabian' is the only album to feature founding member Chris Karloff, who alongside Serge served as the band's lead guitarist and songwriter until he left due to creative difference in 2006 during the recording of their follow-up record 'Empire'.

Kasabian - L.S.F.

Kasabian expanded their sound

Communal life and shelf after shelf filled with albums by their favourites (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. Kasabian expanded that sound on later albums, but the band's foundation remained rooted in swaggering, fragmented dance textures and boisterous rock & roll. 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.

Kasabian - Club Foot

Kasabian's revolutionary logos and sleeve art

The iconic masked man or "ultraface" logo that appears on nearly all early Kasabian releases was created by the band and went through a few versions until the final album art was designed by Simon Corkin. On the early single releases the masked man still had shoulders and a full head. It is inspired by Italian ultras. "Italian football fans have their own flags, so we wanted one," Chris told MTV in 2005. "And if you see that face, you know we're in town."

Different geographical regions had different colours for their album cover. The British version is black and white, the European import is black and red, and the American version is black and blue. The Japanese "Ultimate Version" is silver and white. The UK limited edition version is a double-sided DualDisc and has a glow-in-the-dark cover. The DVD element contains a making-of documentary and several music videos.

Foldout poster sleeves, 10" versions, and hand-stenciled covers accompanied singles like "Club Foot," "L.S.F," and "Processed Beats." The hype paid off as Kasabian's self-titled debut cracked the Top Five in October 2004, just one month after its U.K. release. Four singles landed in the Top 20 within six months, establishing the bandmates as rock & roll royalty in the process.

Kasabian - Reason Is Treason

The official Kasabian manifesto

"The man behind the mask doesn't have to be a Che Guevara revolutionary. He could be a shelf stacker or an office worker, a dreamer, a schemer, the bloke/girl next to you on the bus, in the club, on the terraces, down the pub."

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