Last updated 11:48, Thursday, 21 August 2008

Far from the lights of the Sands Centre stage, Tom Meighan is a different man. Not completely different, to be sure. The Kasabian frontman still has his confidence, his swagger and charisma. Kasabian draw influences from their eclectic taste in music, ranging from Syd Barrett to Neu! But Tom’s onstage persona, he says, is down to a natural “nervous energy.”

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Man on a mission: Tom Meighan, lead singer with Kasabian, plays to a sell out crowd at The Sands Centre in Carlisle. The gig was in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust and Tom was introduced to Cumbrian cancer sufferers Emily Richardson, left, and Niall Ritchie, below

But it’s clear there’s a lot more going on. His wide blue eyes are lit with intelligence and enthusiasm. He seems genuinely pleased to see you.

After four years at the top, he’s befriended childhood heroes Oasis and beaten Bob Dylan to a number one album. But fans like cancer sufferers Niall Ritchie, 14, and Emily Richardson, 16, help him keep things in perspective.

The Cumbrian youngsters got to meet the band on behalf of charity the Teenage Cancer Trust.

He says: “They were really brave. It doesn’t really matter when it comes into that context – things like what you’re going to wear on stage. It’s not all that important, life-wise.”

Kasabian’s Carlisle gig - one of their smallest in a long time - was part of a warm-up tour for the Creamfields festival. The band have been out of the limelight for more than seven months to work on a new album.

“I think it’s nice – a lot of bands dismiss Carlisle and just go for the obvious places,” he says.

Not that he’s completely unfamiliar with the city. He adds: “We came here in 2004 when I was 23. We played a venue and it was absolutely freezing, I think about 12 people were there.”

Tipped to be the band’s best yet, the new album will have “a bit of a tongue twister” for a title. Due for release in January, Tom compares it to Radiohead’s Kid A.

He says: “It’s our third album and it’s our masterpiece. We’re all going to be posing on the front like a 60s vinyl poster, we’ll make it really iconic.”

Calling it a “concept album,” he reveals it will include a duet with a female singer.

An experimental sound should put an end to comparisons with ‘Madchester’ bands like the Stone Roses.

He says: “We’ve shrugged off that ‘baggy’ rubbish – that’s keyboard music and we’re a lot more advanced than that. People don’t give us enough credit sometimes for our ideas. ”

“When we make a new record we listen to it to death. I listened to Processed Beats the other day and it’s really unique.”

From an Irish Catholic background, Tom grew up listening to Motown. He describes himself as a “soul singer.”

“The first record I bought was Stand By Me by Ben E King. It’s still my favourite song,” he says.

“As soon as I was born all I ever used to do was sing. My mum used to sing Patsy Kline to me when I was a baby, and I think that had an impact.”

He adds: “When I was born, I had a really small gut. I used to puke when I got nervous.”

His life has been impressively hectic since Kasabian hit the big-time – last year he took more than 70 flights.

“It takes a big chunk out of your life, touring the world. A year seems like a day,” he says.

“But this is my life, this is me. If you took this away, I don’t know what I would do.”

His close friendship with guitarist Sergio Pizzorno dates back to their school days in Leicester.

He says: “We’ve been together since we were 16 – it’s a long time. When we recorded Empire it was non-stop for four years.”

In their recent break from touring, he adds: “Serge has been making music, and I’ve been going mental.”

The band famously lived in a Rutland Water farmhouse for two years, while recording their self-titled first album. Hoping to avoid the pressures of London life, Tom has since moved back to Leicester.

His friends now include the Gallaghers and Mani from Primal Scream, as well as up-and-coming band The Enemy. He says: “I last saw Noel a few weeks ago and we always have a good laugh.”

Kasabian have often felt let down by media coverage, especially in the early years.

“People get it massively wrong,” he says. “I was misquoted as saying all the best bands are from the north – we’re actually from the Midlands. Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin are our neighbours.”

But place doesn’t come into his theory of rock. It should simply be a chance to escape.

He says: “We want to delete people’s brains. Rock n’ roll is supposed to make you forget about everything.

“When we play live, I think there’s a feeling not many bands have any more. People believe in us, because they know when they come to see us they’re going to have an amazing night.”

And in the current climate, people have plenty to escape from. Although far from a fan of mainstream politics, Tom is worried by news of the credit crunch.

“All I can say is that Britain at the minute is on its knees. If I was a working man, married with three children, I’d be panicking,” he says.

Rising knife crime is also a concern. He adds: “I think it’s disgusting, all these young kids getting stabbed. When I was 15 or 16 years old, I never even thought about carrying a blade with me.”

Until he can change the world, though, Tom is content to be a rock star. Not that his ambitions stop there.“One of the things I want to do in life is to swim with a great white shark. I think it’s one of the most amazing animals left on the planet,” he says.

“I got into sharks when I was a kid – I was fascinated by the film Jaws. People will all be going to space in 400 years, but for me the real alien world is the sea.”

And with that, he’s back on the tour bus and off to another adventure.

Check out www.kasabian.co.uk