We caught up with Serge Pizzorno to talk to him about the great wonder (and meet Noel Fielding and Noel Gallagher) before heading to the stand to see some action.

NME took on Kasabian’s Serge Pizzorno just before his secret performance at Glastonbury 2024 and then headed to the pit. Watch our video interview with the leader above and find out what happened next.

Having long been the bookmakers’ favourites to occupy the secret spot “TBA” early in the evening at the Woodsies level (Saturday 29 June), the band showed their presence a few hours before their performance, resulting in a huge crowd and the closure of the area and enthusiasts drifting away.

“That’s killing me,” Pizzorno told NME about keeping it a secret. “Everyone asked me, but we did the dance. I can’t wait.

It’s his fifth appearance at Worthy Farm, coming a decade after headlining the Pyramid Stage in 2014 and marking his first outing at the venue since frontman Tom Meighan left in 2020.

“You know what? I like this place,” he said. “It’s the biggest party. We’ve been here for five minutes and you’re getting into this. You pass this river and you say to yourself, “Yes, for the next few days this is my home. ” Everyone is in the same mood.

Kasabian’s Serge Pizzorno in scenes from Glastonbury 2024. Credit: Andy Ford for NME

Last time they directed and headlined, they were joined by The Mighty Boosh’s Noel Fielding, who also discovered an adorable way to calm his friend Pizzorno in the bunk of their tour bus before the show.

“I’m texting him this morning,” Pizzorno said today of the comedian. “For this concert, the adrenaline is pumping, you wake up with it. So instead of filling your suitcase with anything, you say, ‘I want anything to calm everything down. ‘” So we get on the bus in the front lounge, and Noel puts on Three Men in a Boat. You know that story? It’s that crazy story of the Thames.

“We put it on and laugh. It was a decision like that. We sit there and I say, “You know what? This is the ideal free area before you get there. I texted him this morning and said, “We want that Three Men in a Boat audiobook, buddy. »

Another friend and Noel, Mr Gallagher, was also spotted at Glastonbury this weekend. Do you intend to faint with him?

“Oh, that’s great, I haven’t noticed that in a while,” Pizzorno responded. “I’m sure we’ll cross paths. He’s the kind of guy you meet at Rabbit Hole at 4 in the morning at a dance party. Maybe I’ll see him there. “

And what to expect from the secret set? Surely a former headliner in a wonderful space and intimate setting like this can be explosive?

“It’s been an intense hour, man,” he promised. We try to put as many as possible. We have some new songs that sound so good live it’s ridiculous. We go in and out.

After the raucous tones of Cilla Black’s “Surprise Surprise” faded, the band burst onto the level to the sound of “Club Foot. “”Open the moshpit,” Pizzorno shouted. “I want your energy, team, I want those damn voices. “Woodsies obeyed.

Kasabian at Glastonbury 2024. Credit: Andy Ford for NME

Kasabian at Glastonbury 2024. Credit: Andy Ford for NME

Kasabian at Glastonbury 2024. Credit: Andy Ford for NME

The wild reaction to “Underdog” was enough to show just how serious those enthusiasts are, and things got even crazier from there. Public participation is essential. ” Let’s try to have as many people on our shoulders as possible,” he asks before “You’re In Love With A Psycho”: the packed crowd gets very, very high before going down much, very low later; crouching and jumping towards “Empire”.

It was crazy. Add some covers and samples from Deee-Lite, Beastie Boys, The Prodigy and Fatboy Slim and get an hour’s worth of your money. Was it explosive? The flares that eliminate the darkness from the horizon and the screaming masses say it all. Good job too, as an excited Pizzorno stood stunned as he looked out at the crowd and reflected on the band’s 20-year career. “I love them both and both. ” and you two, “he concluded. I am left speechless. “

— Andrew Trendell (@AndrewTrendell) June 29, 2024

— Andrew Trendell (@AndrewTrendell) June 29, 2024

The opening of Glastonbury featured stellar sets such as LCD Soundsystem, Dua Lipa, Fontaines D. C. , and IDLES.

Check back with NME for all the latest news, reviews, interviews, pictures, rumors and more from Glastonbury 2024. Check out the NME blog here for all the latest Glastonbury moves as they happen.