2012 was a huge year for the Leicester band – but then, every year has seemed colossal for Kasabian recently. The Band’s fourth album, ‘Velociraptor’, was released in September 2011 to widespread critical acclaim: hailed by many as their finest effort to date. Having moved away from psychedelic breakdowns and interludes, the band have claimed they’re going leftfield with the next album.

However far Kasabian venture into the leftfield, though, it’s unlikely that it will hinder their popularity. The band originally formed as Saracuse in 1997, but later changed their name – taking their new moniker from Linda Kasabian, a get-away driver for the notorious Charles Manson. Despite first beginning to record material in the late ‘90s, the band didn’t release their eponymous debut album until 2004 – but it was their run of ever-increasingly popular singles which truly brought them mainstream attention.

Their second album, ‘Empire’ was a huge success, spawning a further run of hit singles while the album itself debuted at Number One oon the UK Albums Chart.

Its follow-up, ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’, was their bravest and boldest yet but still no less popular: in additions to scoring them a consecutive Number One, it was also nominated for the 2009 Mercury Music Prize.

2013 saw the band headline dance festival Snowbombing in Austria and play an incendiary set when they headlined Hard Rock Calling in London’s Queen Elizabeth Park.

As the ten year anniversary since the release of their self titled debut approaches, Kasabian are set to play their biggest show to date in front of a sold out crowd of 50,000 fans in their hometown of Leicester.

Work on their fifth album has been completed, with the yet unnamed LP slated for release in June.

Source: Sziget Festival Budapest