Kasabian ‘had no choice’ as they sack ex-frontman Tom Meighan after Domestic Violence assault charges
Will Kasabian ever be the same again as the band made a decision to sack now ex-frontman Tom Meighan after his conviction in court this week for a Domestic Violence assault on his partner? Meighan had been lead vocalist with Kasabian for 23 years but following a drunken and “sustained” attack. The 39-year-old, who said he left the group on Monday due to personal reasons, appeared in Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. Meighan had thrown his partner across the room “in a rage,” the court heard before Prior to his court appearance, the band released a statement saying Meighan was dealing with “personal issues” and wanted to concentrate on “getting his life back on track”. Meighan, whose net worth has been estimated at around £1 million was ordered to pay £90 victim surcharge and £85 in prosecution costs and given a community service order to undertaken 200 hours of unpaid work. Meighan subsequently wrote on Twitter:
“Following today’s announcement I just wanted to let you all know that I am doing well. I’m in a really good place now Thanks for all your love and support. I’ll be seeing you all very soon.”
Kasabian respond to conviction and Domestic Violence
In contrast to this, a statement released following his conviction, Kasabian the band members said they were led to believe Meighan would;
“hold his hands up and in his statement tell everyone what he’d done”, but instead “misled” fans. No one in the band wanted this to happen. the We have all worked so hard for the past twenty-three years and had big plans for our future together. We’re completely heartbroken. But we were left with no choice but to ask Tom to leave the band. There is absolutely no way we can condone his assault conviction. Domestic violence and abuse of any kind is totally unacceptable. As soon as we found out about the charges made against Tom, we as a band made the decision that we could no longer work with him. We were led to believe that Tom would hold his hands up and in his statement tell everyone what he’d done but he chose not to, misleading a lot of fans. Ultimately, as much as Tom has hurt us all, we’re not the victim in all of this. Domestic violence is something that can never be excused.”
It’s a situation far removed from Meighans conviction, the summer of 2018 saw Kasabian took to the stage in a sellout concert deep in the heart of one of the most beautiful forest venues in the UK. The band headlined Forest Live at Thetford High Lodge. Professional Music Photographer, Lee Blanchflower of Blanc Creative captured the performance which saw a The set started with King for the Day, prompting the crowd to rush to the stage and throw their pints in the air. So followed a set including Shoot the Runner, Club Foot and Empire. The atmospheric setting of the Thetford Forest never pales, and as the sun went down the stage came alive with an electrifying light show and the slick and pulsating performance.
Kasabian formed in 1997 and reached the UK charts with their third single Club Foot in 2004. Major success came with albums Empire in 2006 and West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum in 2009, which featured a string of hits including Underdog and Fire. Meighan’s departure leaves guitarist Serge Pizzorno and bassist Chris Edwards as the only remaining founding members and it’s unclear if the band will replace Meighan with a new frontman.
