Tom Meighan was clearly thrilled. “This is the best gig we’ve ever done, honest to God,” the singer exclaimed as Kasabian surged into their final number, L. S. F. (Lost Souls Forever). The crowd were just as excited, bopping and bouncing along in the glare of white light emanating from the huge stage, and continuing to chant the chorus even after the band had taken their bow and departed.

This was certainly a landmark show for the group from Leicester. The choice of venue was a statement in itself. The capital’s biggest indoor venue, Earls Court (capacity 22,000) is the natural habitat of acts such as Madonna, Rod Stewart and George Michael. To be joining such illustrious company, just two albums into their career, was a big step for Kasabian. With sales of their 2004 debut album now being close to the million mark, and this year’s follow-up, Empire, certified platinum for sales of 300,000, they could evidently make up the numbers. But did they have the clout?

Yes they did. The band have been talked up as the heirs to the Britpop crown worn for so long and with such conspicuous arrogance by Oasis. And in another heartfelt little speech to the crowd, Meighan acknowledged the Gallagher brothers as a key inspiration. But Kasabian were far more skilled and broad-ranging in their musical ambition than Oasis, even if they could not produce so many instantly recognisable and hummable hits.

They began with Stay Away from the Brown Acid (Part 1), a keyboard-led, instrumental “overture” that sounded like the Moody Blues after an Ecstasy session. There was a distinct Marc Bolan/glam-rock tinge to Shoot the Runner, while Sun Rise Light Flies unfurled with all the atmospheric grandeur of an old-school psychedelic epic. Drug references abounded in the lyrics of Cutt Off, Me Plus One and others lending an air of 1960s mysticism to a set that was expertly balanced between aggressively modern electronic beats and old-fashioned rock guitar heroics.

If there was an Oasis moment, musically, it came when the guitarist Sergio Pizzorno — who writes Kasabian’s songs — stepped forward to sing the ballad British Legion, accompanied by his own acoustic guitar. But more typical of this ambitious show as a whole was the irresistibly danceable Processed Beats — a kind of homage to the Stone Roses/ baggy era — followed by a dramatic romp through the Ennio Morricone-influenced The Doberman, complete with contributions from a live mariachi trumpet player. It was an evening of triumph and a moment to savour.

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