Tom Meighan got the boot from Kasabian almost two years ago after pleading guilty to assaulting Vikki Ager, and now Serge, the guitarist and now lead singer of the group, has shared the grief he felt during that time.

Serge said to the Guardian: “The summer when Tom left was absolutely heartbreaking. It felt like leaving home and coming back and seeing it burnt down, walking around the ashes, seeing old pictures and artefacts, picking things up, and sifting through the destruction. It was an intense time.”

“It always amazes me how strong people’s opinions are when they don’t know anything about the actual truth. There’s way more to it. Who in their right mind would sack a frontman if there wasn’t cause?”

“Over the years, there have been some tough moments. I don’t want to go into them because I feel like that’s the band’s business.”

George Millington