Tom Meighan interview: Disgraced Kasabian frontman on working in a food bank, alcohol issues and headlining village music festival in Yorkshire

Meighan would never condone his actions that day, but he and Vikki have been continuously and determinedly eager to stress that everyone knows their life has moved on.

Vikki is in the kitchen as we speak, making pizza for their tea and the couple are clearly enjoying life at their home in Leicester.

“I’m not making any excuses about what happened,” says Meighan, who has since been diagnosed with ADHD and General Anxiety Disorder and has been on an intensive recovery programme.

“We were drunk, we had a fight, I got nicked. The rest is all there. It was bad. The worst thing was that it was a blackout for me. I can remember hardly anything of it.

Meighan was sentenced to 200 hours community service after the judge heard that Vikki was standing by him, that some reports had been wildly exaggerated and that they loved each other very much. They married a year after the trial.

“It was a really rough time, really difficult, but we are alright, really alright. I’ve got a good life, I’m married to my beautiful wife, we have four girls who are all teenagers now. I did my community hours working in a food bank for three months, which was really great,” says Meighan.

“There were other things going on with Kasabian at the time, which were bad, but I’ll never use that as an excuse for what happened.” In his time with Kasabian the band had five UK No 1 albums, a Brit Award for Best Group, voted Best Live Act by NME, twice Best Act in the World Today in the Q Awards and headlined Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds festivals.

Bu t Meighan was sacked from the band around the same time as he appeared in Leicester Magistrates Court.

He’s become a little more philosophical over no longer being part of the band he started, though the decision made by the band that saw his fellow founding member Sergio Pizzorno take over as lead vocalist still causes pain. He shrugs.

“It is what it is. We had amazing moments. Some of the gigs we did were outstanding and on our day we were the best rock band in the world, but that’s life and life moves on. It was a downward spiral. I knew it was coming to an end before it came, but I couldn’t face the reality.

“Serge wanted to be lead singer for years, he just didn’t admit it. Maybe we’d been together too long, I don’t know. I think they used what happened as a way of getting rid of me, but getting where we got to, the chase, was amazing. I just knew we were destined for it. I’ve always believed in myself and even when we were getting knocked back by record labels when we were young, I believed we’d get there and we did.”

Meighan says there was a period of around ten years when he felt ostracised from Kasabian and that the lack of support he received from his fellow band members during that time led to his frustration, and that often led to him turning to alcohol. But he’s now excited with everything that he has going on, with his new music career as a solo artist with his new band and new Top 20 album The Reckoning, and his family life with Vikki, the girls and their three cats is better than ever.

“I’ve always loved playing live and for years I was happy just being the frontman, the singer. Now I’m writing my own songs with these great musicians in my new band, Gaz Young and Bnnan Infidel, and I feel free. All of us in the band really gel. Writing is amazing and I’m able to be creative. Some songs just came from going in, picking up a guitar and jamming.

“The album’s doing great, better than I ever thought and I’ve some major news to tell, really big news, that I can’t release just yet until everything is signed.

“The title track is probably my favourite along with Movin’ On but I like performing all of them because it’s new, fresh and it’s just great to get my music back out there. I think Acrobat is the one that will get everyone.”

Meighan admits that his first time back on stage after about three years didn’t have quite the euphoric feeling he’d anticipated, but by the next gig he’d got his mojo back.

“It was weird. I think I’d built myself up to it too much, but the next day I felt 100 per cent again. Wherever I play, whether it is for 100 or 100,000, I’ll always treat the gig the same, not just because people have paid their hard-earned money for tickets but because I love to do the best I can.

"The tour we’ve just done was like an arena tour, but in smaller venues. It was iconic. It was what I love doing, performing, sweating. I’m a frontman and that’s what I do. It was great to be back. This band really is phenomenal.”Meighan’s inspiration for performing goes back to his days before Kasabian was formed in 1997, when he was still at school and a name that some might not expect.

“Michael Jackson is responsible for me doing what I do. He’s the reason I’m on stage. I used to watch him on a VHS video and I’d mimic him. I’d drive my mum insane. I was a typical teenager with my BMX bike and occasionally I’d do some really bad graffiti. I thought I was a bit ‘down on the street’ and the music I liked included drum and bass and rave. Looking back it sounds a bit outdated, it seemed amazing at the time.”

Leicester City FC is another of Tom’s passions, alongside reading, watching movies and looking after their cats. He says he knew the writing was on the wall for the Foxes this season.

“We’ve been rubbish. We start again, build and go again, that’s football. I met Vikki the year we won the Premier League. It was called the Golden Summer. Now that’s a great name for a song.

When Tom takes to the stage at Askern Music Festival on Saturday, July 8 he and his band will be performing a mix of his new songs and Kasabian favourites. He’s certainly lost none of his swagger and innate self-belief.

“I look forward to every gig, just give me the stage wherever it is and it is mine. I’m healthy. I’m in a really good place, both Vikki and I are. I’m doing great. I’m not saying I’m a monk but drink is not an issue anymore. It never really was, but if you consume too much of anything it can take you to bad places."

Tickets for Askern Music Festival which takes place on Saturday July 8, are available from askernmusicfestival.co.uk

Tom’s album The Reckoning is out now.