Kasabian strike back with Empire

Slouched on a sofa in a bare dressing room, Kasabian guitarist Serge Pizzorno is lazily explaining the band's 'vibe' to a listening journalist: "We're outlaws, man, pirates." Just then, singer Tom Meighan's bearded face pokes around the door. "Two seconds mate, I'll be two seconds." Then it disappears, a few moments pass, he returns with something for Serge to sign, disappears again and soon returns a second and final time. But he's hardly settled, perching himself on the edge of the sofa opposite me like a coiled spring. Meighan's enthusiasm is the absolute antithesis of Pizzorno's affected cool, a contrast that extends to their live shows.

Despite his energy, Meighan's face is pale and his eyes look heavy. This, he explains, is because the band are just back from playing the Ibiza Rocks event. Presumably he wasn't there to sunbathe then? "It was really good," he says, "but to be honest with you I wouldn't give a fuck if the island sank."

We're backstage at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange, a couple of hours before Kasabian play their first "proper, proper" gig since they recorded new album Empire. "Scotland's wonderful, man. They're gonna go fucking loopy." Meighan's excitement is no put-on; he's positive about the new material and raring to unleash it on the audience. "I'm anxious, but in a good way. We've got about six or seven new songs in our set. It's gonna be fucking crazy."

As we broach the subject of Empire, Meighan has a few scores to settle. "The last time the music journalists got us wrong. I can understand the Roses thing, but the fucking Mondays man. That's rubbish." And the Primal Scream comparisons? "'Xtrmntr' was a major influence." So us journos don't always get it wrong, but Meighan is still in combative mood. "We're cleverer than people give us credit for. Now this record's coming out I think it'll shut a lot of mouths up." His tail up, Meighan reverts to the modesty-bypass mode which has come to typify Kasabian interviews, when he deadpans, "Empire is the record Led Zeppelin would've made if they were still around today."

After a chin-stroking silence we discuss the Rolling Stones (Meighan is still giddy about meeting them backstage after their support slot the previous week) and The Who (John Entwistle is their style icon, apparently) before we reach Oasis, Meighan's biggest single motivation for making music. He believes forthcoming second single Shoot the Runner could prove to be as important for them as Wonderwall was for Oasis. "I'm not saying we're gonna overtake 'em. They were the biggest band in the world, stupidly big. They're my friends, I love 'em, but I wanna get in the ring with them and fight." He pauses. "If Shoot the Runner kicks off I can see it going to Jupiter or Mars. Monkeys in space, imagine that."

As I try to imagine that, the restless Meighan looks ready to leave, so I ask him one final question: 'Why do you do it?' He mulls it over, before saying, "You know why I do it? Them baked beans that I love so much. The baked beans in the crowd, the people, all of 'em, all the people."

No matter how the critics receive Kasabian, no other band has connected so effectively with the public-at-large since Oasis in their heyday. Like the Gallaghers, Kasabian have self-belief on tap, but only time will tell whether it's hollow arrogance or justified assurance.