More about: Kasabian

This year's Glastonbury headliners Kasabian have spoken out about the state of British rock music - claiming that it's in desperate need of 'a kick up the arse'. 

The band, who are gearing up for a massive anniversary homecoming show in Leicester this weekend ahead of closing the Pyramid Stage at Glasto next week, have never been one to mix words when it comes to their competition, and in a new blog for NME, guitarist Serge Pizzorno has given British rock a call to arms.

"When Kasabian first started, it felt like the next generation of British rock 'n' roll bands were always there, you know? There was this constant stream of what was going to happen next," said Serge. "But now it feels like it has slowed down, and almost come to a standstill. I don’t know what I put that down to."

He continued: "Is '48:13' the album to give it a kick up the backside? I love this record, but that's for the people to decide. You can will it. I’d like to think '48:13' could be the spark which makes kids just go 'bang!' It’s also a glimpse of what rock music can be: it doesn’t have to just be churning out the same ideas, same sounds, and same riffs that you know, you can embrace other things and experiment and you can make something that sounds new. I’m really excited for young bands to hear this record."

Pizzorno added: "I didn't see Alex Turner's rock 'n' roll speech at The Brits, but I heard a lot of people talking about it. Of course he wanted to make that moment that people talk about, he was at the Brits! That's it for me though, British rock 'n' roll needs to up its game, and of course rock 'n' roll will never die. That’s obvious. I just think there’s so much more out there for it, it just needs a kick up the arse or something. It needs igniting."

Kasabian will headline Glastonbury festival on Sunday 29 June alongside Metallica, Arcade Fire and many more, after a huge gig at Leicester's Victoria Park on Saturday 21 June. For more information visit Gigwise tickets. 

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More about: Kasabian