In an era dominated by solo acts and fleeting TikTok sensations, Kasabian’s Serge Pizzorno is raising a red flag: the traditional band is becoming an endangered species.
Reflecting on the current music landscape in a recent interview with Blunt Magazine, Pizzorno observed, “There’s no bands anymore.” He further lamented the decline of groups that once defined rock and roll, suggesting that the essence of band culture is fading.
“Sure, there are lots of bands out there, but real bands—the kind that reach the mainstream—those bands don’t seem to exist anymore. It’s a shame, because there’s some bloody good stuff out there” he added.
The decline isn’t about talent; it’s about exposure. He points to Amyl and the Sniffers, a band tearing through stages with raw punk energy, but still operating outside the mainstream machine. “They’re having a moment, but in my mind, they should be massive, and they’re not.”
So why has the tide shifted? Why are bands—once the backbone of rock and indie—fading from the mainstream spotlight? Pizzorno doesn’t have a definitive answer, but he does have a theory.
“Maybe people just don’t want to be in a band anymore. Maybe they want to do it on their own,” he mused. The days of four or five people grinding it out in a van, fighting through label politics and inflated egos now might not be as appealing as the self-sufficient solo route.
Kasabian have survived shifting trends, industry upheavals, and their own internal storms. They remain one of the last big bands still building worlds, still telling stories with every album, every gig and every detail.
For Pizzorno, that’s what keeps it all alive—the act of creation, of pushing forward despite the industry’s changing tides. As bands continue to dwindle from the mainstream, Kasabian stands defiant, proving that perhaps some traditions are worth fighting for.
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