Kasabian played a hit-packed set as they became the first-ever Thursday headliners at Leeds Festival last night (August 27). See what went down below, along with footage, photos and the full setlist.
Lista completa
- READ MORE: Serge Pizzorno on being fuelled by “imposter syndrome” and why new album ‘Act III’ is “all that’s great about Kasabian”.
- Dolly Parton, 1946-2026: the Queen of Country was a unifying force in a divided world.
- Soundtrack Of My Life: Damien Lewis.
- Mike D – ‘Thank You’ review: Beastie Boys icon’s solo debut is a return to be grateful for.
- Electronic wizard Hakushi Hasegawa’s next experiment? Forming a band.
- For Quiet Light, duality is a fact of life: “Everything is way more connected than we think”.
The Leicester band kicked off the northern edition of Reading & Leeds 2026 ahead of releasing their delayed ninth studio album, ‘Act III’, which is due to arrive next Friday (September 4).
Having previously topped the bill in 2012 and 2017, Serge Pizzorno and co. christened the revamped main stage – now called ‘The Grid’ – following R&L’s major arena overhaul for this year.
The troubled weather remaining completely dry for the duration of their set was another reason to celebrate, amid a looming thunderstorm threat after heavy rain hit Bramham Park earlier in the day.
Manchester band Arkayla brought their scrappy indie tunes across the Pennines to start. While festival-goers would usually be seeing in Thursday with tinnies around the tent, frontman Cal Blakebrough paused to take stock of the huge moment.
The Lathums‘ dose of Americana by way of Wigan came next. “This song is called ‘Sad Face Baby’,” said vocalist and guitarist Alex Moore to introduce the final song.
The rousing and hopeful ‘How Beautiful Life Can Be’ was another highlight in a set that felt almost headline-worthy.
Kasabian eventually arrived onstage as black-and-white TV static fuzzed across the big screens, launching into colossal classic ‘Club Foot’. Pizzorno soon demanded “moshpits”, with one fan brandishing a ‘Leicester City Champions’ flag down the front.
Despite it only being Thursday (and with no live music down in Reading), the slot was far from a scaled-back affair to ease us into R&L ’26 – instead bringing full-throttle production and party vibe.
Next up was ‘Stevie’ and recent G-Funk-flavoured single ‘Superpowers’. The group’s self-proclaimed “banger” and Calvin Harris collab ‘Release The Pressure’ took us on a ravey trip, making way for an instrumental version of Bronski Beat’s 1984 synth-pop gem ‘Smalltown Boy’.
A filthy take on The Prodigy‘s ‘Breathe’ riff led us to ‘Vlad The Impaler’, too. Here, the crowd obliged when Pizzorno asked them to “get loose” and jump.
Elsewhere, he introduced touring member Rob Harvey (formerly of The Music) as a “Leeds boy”, marking a homecoming of sorts. “You’ve been so good to us over the years,” Pizzorno told the Yorkshire fans.
For a three-track encore, Kasabian performed ‘Ill Ray (The King)’, ‘God Bless This Acid House’, and set the field ablaze once more with euphoric 2009 hit ‘Fire’.
Pizzorno participated in a chant of “here we fucking go!” as the tune broke down.
Kasabian’s Leeds Festival 2026 setlist was.
Encore: ‘Ill Ray (The King)’ ‘God Bless This Acid House’ ‘Fire’.
Reading & Leeds 2026 continues today (Friday August 28), and runs through to Sunday (August 30). Check back at NME for the latest news, reviews, photos, interviews and much more.
The world's defining voice in music and pop culture: breaking what's new and what's next since 1952.
When you purchase through affiliate links on NME.com, you may contribute to our site through commissions. Learn More.
NME Networks, a part of Caldecott Music Group. All rights reserved.
