Kasabian

Kasabian

Zilker Park, Sept. 23

"I really admire you standing in this heat," beamed Kasabian's singer Tom Meighan. The Austin City Limits Music Festival has become an annual tradition for making pasty Brits sweat, and Kasabian's midday performance was no exception. Launching with "Reason Is Treason," off their self-titled debut, the band took charge of the stage with their sweaty fists pumping. Such an early slot at such an early part of the weekend is no small challenge. It's one the Killers synthed all over last year, and Kasabian followed suit without the suits. Meighan was commanding, trading vocals with guitarist Sergio Pizzorno. On "Test Transmission," the band's psychedelic charm was enough to make it their moment in the sun; with the drums beating down like the heat, the ample crowd danced like there was no tomorrow even though two were still left to endure. In a way, it was a proclamation, by the band and audience: There's no turning back now. Before Kasabian emptied out the addictive guitar riff of "Club Foot," Meighan declared what their fans would later echo: "We felt like shit earlier but now we feel so much better."