Kasabian: Live Music, Virtual Football

Amazon Music and UK gaming video platform Twitch are collaborating in a series of Kasabian gigs, April 18-20, at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town as well as a FIFA 17 and Q&A session with the band.  

Jonathan Short / Invision / AP –
Tom Meighan of Kasabian, Hard Rock Calling Festival, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, June 29, 2013

Kasabian, whose members describe themselves as “die-hard Leicester City FC fans,” will meet at Twitch’s London studios April 17, to virtually reenact the following day’s Champions League second-leg game between the English club and Atletico Madrid on a gaming console.

“Hopefully, we can make life imitate art for a win in the Champions League,” said Kasabian’s Serge Pizzorno. Prior to that, the band will be answering fans’ questions.

The whole event will be live streamed by Twitch, which sees this setup as a way of expanding “beyond being a destination solely for live streamed video game content into a broader platform for other industries, such as music and sports,” according to the company’s marketing director Jason Fletcher.

Twitch will then live stream the second of three concerts by Kasabian at the 2,300-capacity O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, April 19, where the band will live-premiere its new album For Crying Out Loud, which is out on May 5.

Said Pizzorno: “We’re buzzing to play our new racks live to fans in such a small venue, it’s going to be incredible.” Amazon Music is promoting the live stream of the concert on Twitch.

“We’re excited to help [the band] fulfill a dream of playing in front of a global audience,” commented Steve Boom, VP of Amazon Music, alluding to Twitch’s 10 million daily active visitors.

For the company, being involved is a way to promote its music and music streaming offerings, where customers can already preview two tracks from Kasabian’s new album.