Kasabian announces new line-up and gig dates after Tom Meighan’s departure

Tim Carter (right) has joined the line-up (Picture: Neil Bedford)

Kasabian has announced its new line-up following the departure of Tom Meighan.

Meighan, 40, left the rock band last July, with his departure announced the day before he pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend.

The band has now announced their first string of concert dates, and confirmed that touring guitarist Tim Carter is now part of the group.

It is believed that Serge Pizzorno will now assume full frontman duties.

Pizzorno, Ian Matthews and Chris Edwards said: ‘We’re incredibly excited to announce these intimate shows. We love our band, our music and our fans too much to ever stop! 

‘We’ll be playing all the classic tunes plus something new for the mosh pit to bounce too. So come join us for the biggest party of 2021! See you there.’

The announcement of the gig also confirmed: ‘Kasabian are: Serge Pizzorno, bassist Chris Edwards, drummer Ian Matthews and guitarist Tim Carter.’

Tom Meighan left the band last year (Picture: PA)

Carter has been touring with Kasabian since 2013, playing with the group at Glastonbury and Reading and Leeds, and he engineered their fifth album, 2014’s 48:13. 

Kasabian will tour across the UK, playing in Glasgow, Liverpool, Cardiff, Leeds, Lincoln, Nottingham, Sheffield, Manchester, Norwich, Newcastle, Leicester, Bournemouth, Southampton, Bristol and London in October and November this year.

While many fans were excited about the announcement, others weren’t so keen on Kasabian continuing without Meighan, who helped found the band in 1997. 

On July 6 2020, a statement from Kasabian read: ‘Tom Meighan is stepping down from Kasabian by mutual consent. Tom has struggled with personal issues that have affected his behaviour for quite some time and now wants to concentrate all his energies on getting his life back on track.’

OCTOBER 2021

Wed 13 – GLASGOW, O2 Academy

Thu 14 – LIVERPOOL, O2 University (Mountford Hall)

Fri 15 – CARDIFF, Great Hall

Sun 17 – LEEDS, O2 Academy

Mon 18 – LINCOLN, The Engine Shed

Wed 20 – NOTTINGHAM, Rock City

Thu 21 – SHEFFIELD, O2 Academy

Fri 22 – MANCHESTER, O2 Victoria Warehouse

Sun 24 – NORWICH, UEA

Tue 26 – NEWCASTLE, O2 City Hall

Wed 27 – LEICESTER, De Montfort Hall

Thu 28 – BOURNEMOUTH, O2 Academy

Sat 30 – SOUTHAMPTON, O2 Guildhall

Sun 31 – BRISTOL, O2 Academy

NOVEMBER 2021   

Tues 02 – LONDON, O2 Academy Brixton

The following day, Meighan appeared in court to plead guilty to a charge of assault.

The court heard that Meighan threatened his partner Vikki Ager with a wooden pallet, hit her in the face and pushed her into a hamster cage, with Ms Ager suffering bruising to her knees, left elbow, outer ankle and big toe as well as a reddening around the neck.

Meighan was sentenced to 200 hours unpaid work.

Speaking about the assault in an interview in December, he told Cornwall Live: ‘We had too much to drink. I regret everything that happened that night – what I can remember of it. I don’t condone it – it’s horrific. I love my partner to pieces.

‘I was at a boiling point in my life – I didn’t know where things were heading. I was drowning myself with drink because of my problems and things going on around me.

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‘We had a fight and I took the brunt for it. I was fully responsible for what happened but we love each other and we’re getting over it.’

Ager has stood by the singer and insisted that he ‘isn’t a violent person’.

Meighan has since announced that he is working on solo projects, and isn’t sure if he’ll ever reunite with his bandmates. 

After his conviction, Kasabian said they were ‘completely heartbroken’, and said they were ‘left with no choice’ but to ask Meighan to leave the band.

Kasabian’s tickets are on sale from June 4.

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