Kasabian Rock the States

Cocky U.K. rockers Kasabian are preparing to open for childhood friends Oasis on their U.S. tour this fall. "When Oasis came out, they were like kids that we knew -- they didn't seem like mythical characters," says Sergio Pizzorno, singer-guitarist of the British rave rockers Kasabian. "It was almost like seeing yourself onstage." Now, with a hit CD of his own, Pizzorno, 24, is as brash as his lad-rock forebears. "The album's good to fight to," says Pizzorno, "but it's also good to have sex to and dance to."

Growing up together in industrial Leicester, England, the band members -- also including singer Tom Meighan, 24, guitarist Christopher Karloff, 25, and bassist Chris Edwards, 24 -- honed their chops covering the Who (especially the synth-heavy Seventies stuff). They began penning their own songs in 2000, funneling straightforward rock tunes through Pizzorno's computer to Happy Monday-ish effect. When a demo the band cut -- the rave-influenced "Processed Beats" -- became an overnight favorite with club DJs across the U.K., Kasabian caught the attention of RCA and were signed in 2002. Since the band's CD came out in March, it has already produced two hit radio singles in the U.S.: the aggressive, space-age guitar track "Club Foot" and the synth-driven Primal Scream homage "L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)."

"Arnold Schwarzenegger's daughter came to one of the gigs, and she said he works out to the Kasabian album," says Pizzorno. "William Shatner likes us too. We did Jimmy Kimmel's show, and he was there -- fucking Captain Kirk is dancing to 'Club Foot.'"

The group's live show gets much of its edge from the unpredictable antics of frontman Meighan, a self-described "nightmare child." "I did a bit too much you-know-what at a festival and Serge had to calm me down," says Meighan. "I brought a light-saber and tried to attack other bands." Now Kasabian are rubbing elbows with the groups they worshipped -- last summer, they opened two U.K. shows for the Who. "Roger Daltrey is just a geezer from London, a real sound guy," says Pizzorno.

As for their upcoming American tour, Pizzorno says, "I just hope I'm still alive by that point, because it's the fucking biggest dream. It would be such a fitting ending. I don't want to die before I get there."

Oasis with Kasabian tour dates:

9/8: Vancouver, General Motors Place
9/11: Mountain View, CA, Shoreline Amphitheatre
9/12: Los Angeles, Hollywood Bowl
9/14: Chula Vista, CA, Coors Amphitheatre
9/15: Las Vegas, House of Blues
9/17: Devore, CA, Hyundai Pavilion of Glen Helen
9/18: Phoenix, Dodge Theatre
9/20: Morrison, CO, Red Rocks Amphitheatre
9/22: Dallas, Smirnoff Music Centre
9/25: The Woodlands, TX, C.W. Mitchell Pavilion
9/27: Atlanta, HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
9/29: Columbia, MD, Merriweather Post
9/30: Cuyahoga Falls, OH, Blossom Music Center