May 29, 2009 10:57

Kasabian: 'We're not a lad rock band'

Band tell NME.COM their music is deeper than people give them credit for

Photo Gallery: Kasabian

Kasabian's Tom Meighan and Sergio Pizzorno have told NME.COM that they can't understand why people label the band as 'lad rock'.

In an interview which you can read in full in this week's issue of NME, Pizzorno said that people are wrong to pigeonhole the band, despite their close association with frends and regular touring partners Oasis.

When asked if Kasabian's new album 'West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum' is an attempt to shrug off the lad rock tag, Pizzorno replied: "We never were one."

He added: "If you put our records on and press play, there's no pub rock in that, man. It's really British rock'n'roll. It is what it is. It kind of makes me laugh when people say that - you ain't got no idea."

Speaking of the new album, Meighan claimed that it shows the band moving in a more ambitious direction than their previous work.

"I think the album shows how beautiful we are as a band," he explained. "How beautiful we've become. It was an ugly duckling, but now it's grown up. It's kind of flowered, blossomed. I think we've matured in every way."

To read the full interview pick up a copy of this week's NME, available across the UK now.

'West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum' is released on June 8 - a single, 'Fire', precedes it on June 1.

Photo Gallery - behind-the-scenes on Kasabian's NME cover shoot

Video - watch footage of Kasabian's 'Alice In Wonderland'-themed photo shoot