Tom Meighan: Kasabian frontman quits band over ‘personal issues’

Musician had been with the rock group since its formation 23 years ago

Kasabian have announced their lead singer Tom Meighan has quit the band.

The news was announced in an Instagram post, revealing that the musician has been having “personal issues”.

“Tom Meighan is stepping down from Kasabian by mutual consent,” said the statement.

“Tom has struggled with personal issues that have affected his behaviour for quite some time and now wants to concentrate all his energies on getting his life back on track.

“We will not be commenting further.”

Meighan, 39, was the lead vocalist for the rock band, which formed in Leicester in 1997. The band enjoyed vast success in the 2000s and 2010s with their albums Kasabian, Empire, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum and Velociraptor!, to name a few.

In 2015, an interviewer for The National described their meeting with Meighan as an “intense, frantic encounter with an intense, frenetic personality”.

Early in Kasabian’s career, Meighan earned a reputation as a provocateur. He became well known for his insults, such as calling The Strokes’s Julian Casablancas “a posh f***ing skier” and Pete Doherty “a f***ing tramp”.

Since 2009, Meighan has made an attempt to tone down his controversial image. In an interview with the Daily Record he said: “When we released the first album, it didn’t help in interviews that we slagged everyone off. We were only messing about, we were having fun but everyone took it a little too seriously…

“We did it for effect but we were portrayed as monsters instead of just a bunch of lads in a band. They got us so wrong. I don’t regret anything we said but it was ridiculous.”