How Kasabian Captured Co-Op Arena: Live Review

SERGIO, SERGIO. Those who doubt Pizzorno’s ability as a frontman are either blinded by nostalgia or simply haven’t seen him perform live. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to catch Kasabian at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester on November 16th, the final night of their 2024 Happenings tour, supported by The Streets.

Upon arrival, scenes were reminiscent of an 80s football match, with casuals’ treads and threads as far as the eye could see-, I’m talking Stoney, Burberry, the lot. Chants of the frontman’s name rang around the concourse as excitement built up, until Serge entered the stage alone, to a wave of worshipping arms, like the Leicestershire Jesus. 

The band opened with Call, the second single from their 2024 record Happenings, and the night was underway. Serge and co instantly had the entire floor moving with the alternative dance tune, followed by indie icon Club Foot, which had my FIFA nerd brain feeling very happy. The energy of the room was absolutely beaming as they continued to play banger after banger., Wwhether it was in an the form of wholesomeness as people rose onto their mates shoulders for You’re In Love With A Psycho, or simply pure elation in mosh pit after mosh pit. 

Having such a large catalogue of hits, including tunes like L.S.F, Stevie and Bless This Acid House, spirits were sky high throughout the whole night. Every hit song by Kasabian seems perfectly written for live performance, and that was proven by the crowd’s reception to each one. 

The band honestly did a fantastic job at mastering the setlist, as tunes seemed to flow into each other seamlessly, with intros, outros and interludes seeming effortless. At one point, Serge even had time to sneakily make his way over to a platform in the middle of the crowd, rising up above everyone with torches in hand, dancing like your Dad at the end of a disco. I can confidently say I have never seen a frontman have such a personal connection with a crowd before, which allowed him to have complete control over them, whether he’d ask them to get low, or go mental. 

There was a genuine heartfelt connection between the band and the crowd, unlike any I’ve seen before, as Kasabian have some of the most passionate fans in the world, who showed their love and appreciation a hundred fold. The band’s diversity and adaptability when it comes to genre – ranging from heavy guitar solos to techno beats – allowed for a real party atmosphere and original feel, as the crowd were given breaks from moshing to tunes like Underdog, and could get groovy to the bands dance tunes. 

As the night was approaching its end, and the band re-entered for their encore, Serge thanked everyone in attendance, for it was their final show of the tour. Closing with Fire, which was received by the best live crowd I have ever seen for any live performance of a song. The entirety of the arena, whether on the floor or in the seats, was absolutely bouncing as each chorus hit. The crowds’ voices were still ringing in my ears even as I got home. 

Kasabian could not have capped off their Happenings tour in a better way, and really proved to everyone why they are widely regarded as one of the best live bands in the world.

Words by Thomas Taylor Shenton.

Been Stellar: Scream from Brudenell, LDS

Late as per. I march furiously down Hyde Park Road on my path to Brudenell Social Club, my footsteps mimicking the beat of the pulsating rainfall. Cars stream by, spewing water back at me
in protest of my appropriation of their drive. There’s something artistic about the damp
November night. Not artistic like the techno-jazz fusion project some guy at a pretentious
cocktail bar told you he’s conducting out of his student home basement, artistic like the
contemporary cacophony of a bustling New York City street. Like the New York City streets that
have inspired the alt-rock troupe Been Stellar. Convoluted analogies aside, there’s a beauty to be
seen in trudging through the maze that is Hyde Park, undeterred by rainfall, motivated by a
craving for live music. A craving for music that has been ever-growing since my recent
overindulgence at Live at Leeds in the City, a craving that had left my heart empty and my ears
bereft, a craving that Been Stellar were ready to satisfy.


That was the night’s objective, New York’s latest passion project Been Stellar. No- not the bloke
from Zoolander, although likeness to the name has been recognized by the band themselves,
Been Stellar are an alt-rock/indie/dream-pop/shoegazey/god why are there so many damn
genres??? five-piece band fighting out of New York City. Touring their debut album Scream
from New York, NY released this June, the five-piece have touched ground in the UK and after
being given the chance to see them live I snapped my editor’s hand off. Been Stellar by name
Been Stellar by nature, as my listening experience of them thus far has been well… Stellar, but
could they do it on a cold, rainy night in Leeds?


Trading New York for Yorkshire, the Manhattan musicians stood tall on the hallowed Brudenell
community room stage, the famed golden ribbons as their backdrop. The crowd filled the room,
initially far from rowdy, standing stagnant and proud with their pints of iridescent fluid. Their
stale demeanour would eventually fall, but Stellar had their work cut out for them. The band’s
entrance was subdued, reserved, quietly confident. They needed no party tricks nor guises to
make their point. They simply launched into their tightly crafted set, knowing they had
something special.


This tightness gave a crisp live edge to their brilliant music, accentuating the terrific roughness
of their sound, dragging in the static crowd for early songs ‘Passing judgement’ and the title
track of their debut Scream from New York, NY. There is a wonderful dread Been Stellar’s
music creates. There’s this giddy anxiety that arises in the pit of your stomach from Slocum’s
harsh lead vocals crashing against the gritty racket the entire band creates. You hang on to every
word, every note, every growl down the microphone. The raw and rowdy melodies build and
build, trepidatious yet intoxicating, and then; nil. The respite brings clarity and the grip is
relinquished, leaving you grief-stricken over the tunes that once were, mimicking the snarky
past-tense nature of the band’s name all too well.


‘Manhattan Youth’ provided a lovely levity, a welcome exception to this rule. After the barrage of
the opening songs, the bouncier and more vibrant track was the final nail in shattering the
audience’s stoic facade, freeing them to bask in the sound. Guards were lowered and Been
Stellar had the crowd in the palm of their hand, without the need to muddy the set with
speeches between songs as so many bands do. Whilst I do typically enjoy the musical fourth wall break that is artists waffling to the crowd, I didn’t miss it with Been Stellar, leaving their
presence shrouded in their music only added to their tight, precise and premium sounding set.

In the metaphorical toolbox of artists, there is arguably no handier tool than understanding how
to craft a set list and knowing the lull would arrive not long after the halfway point, the
American quintet course corrected and pulled out a stretch of more dream-pop infused
numbers. Personal favourites of mine ‘Pumpkin’ and ‘Takedown’ were standouts, receiving a
very Northern, “they really are cracking these mon” from my journalistic partner in crime (my
sister who fancied a cheeky Monday night Brude trip). Welcome to England my friends.


Having caged the beast long enough, the five-piece unleashed their heavier sound to ring around
the rafters as they closed their show. ‘I Have the Answer’ drew what was a definitively Stellar live
performance to a close (semantic satiation has fully gotten a hold of stellar now my apologies). I
re-emerged onto the dreary Hyde Park streets, heart filled, ears ringing and musical cravings
perfectly satisfied. Been Stellar, you are thanked for your service! And reader, you are
encouraged to listen to the New York phenoms as soon as bloody possible.

Words by Dan Brown.

Best Friends & Big Hopes: Beabadoobee Live In Leeds

Blank white tapestry sheets hang loosely, fluttering in the wake of a packed 02 academy. Beabadoobee needs no sign, no moniker to represent herself, hundreds have been queuing all day in the grey drizzle for just a glimpse of her. For when Beabadoobee graced the stage, the hush of respect that befell the whole room was unlike anything I’d experienced in quite some time. 

She loves you. You can feel it even as she gazes across a crowd of thousands. Or you think so anyway. Since you’d definitely be best friends of course! You have so much in common after all, don’t you? And she’s funny, and sweet, just like you, my slightly unstable reader. Beabadoobee’s crowd of best friends revered her, that’s undoubtable, but perhaps we can open up a parasocial relationship conversation off the back of this. 

After some poetically written lonely years of touring for Beatrice Laus, it appears she’s found a love for live performance & is lighting up venues up and down the UK. Beabadoobee is the grassroots acoustic sweetheart, in only a couple of years playing Key Club to now packing out 02 Academy. As much as I’d like to say she’s outgrowing these venues, after all, she’s now got over 20M monthly Spotify listeners and the queue for the show was building all day long, I’m glad Bea hasn’t yet hit the arenas. She’s certainly got the sound and fanbase to do so. But, her breathy vocals and slight, lilting tone is one that feels like it could blow away with the gentlest hush, and one that is so well suited to an intimate venue. As an audience we gazed, captivated, on her slower tracks ‘Ever Seen’ and ‘Post’ I could feel myself grounded to stillness, under the guise of an irrational fear that we may scare her off. Like a mirage or a doe in the woods, Beabadoobee has a presence that can only be described as ethereal or fae-like. Despite her slightly shy nature on stage, she commands the gravitas and control of space with ease that every screaming frontman literally begs for.

For this tour and despite her tranquility, Beabadoobee has captured a cool poise. She’s shaken her nerves, obviously reflective of This Is How Tomorrow Moves, her new album released this year, and she is taking strides in both herself and her career. Tangling her sound further into an eclectic mix of bossa nova, shoe gaze, and now fuzzy rock, Bea is feeding into more genres than I can hope to define. Standout track from this 3rd album ‘Real Man’ is a true marvel live. This is my formal apology to my housemates, boyfriend & workmates who have had to listen to me humming the pre-chorus endlessly on a loop for days on end. It seems it hasn’t wormed its way into just my head, as the crowd bobbed along & nearly drowned out the band for a mid-set dancealong. 

Beabadoobee has created a whole entire new niche of irresistible indie-pop. I hate to justify him ever, but Matty Healy’s best musical decision lies in signing Beatrice * surname to Dirty Hit at just 17. Now 24, Beabadoobee is facing the loneliness that comes with fame, and everyone who owns an acoustic guitar thinks that they know her in a completely unique way than anyone else who has ever listened to her ever. Happy to report, however, that Bea’s exploration into her own agency has resulted in a truly beautiful 3rd album. Dare I say her best work to date? Actually, yes I happily do. It’s fun, it’s light and genuinely refreshing to hear & she performed it with so much soul and happiness she quite literally glowed. 


As the white sheet finally fell during lead single ‘Beaches’ minds were lost, consciousness altered & maybe I’m a tad dramatic but in my defence, it was really cool. Revealing a wall of lingering plants, tangled and breathing along to the music, Beabadoobee had the stage, and us all in the palm of her hand. Unsurprised & welcomed. She was giddy with excitement, gushing about her tour & her relief to return home the next day. A sight to behold, and once she floated off stage for the encore, her fans knit themselves together, tightly and happily sighing as she returned back to the stage for ‘Coming Home’. Aptly finishing on ‘See You Soon’, its clear that Beabadoobee will absolutely be back, and accelerating at her rate alongside her truly unique talent, stardom awaits for her.

Words by Millie Cain.