Former Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan has laid out plans for solo album ‘The Reckoning’.
The singer led Kasabian to huge success at home and abroad, before departing from the band in 2020. Tom Meighan pled guilty to assaulting his fiancée Vikki Ager – during his subsequent trial, prosecutor Naeem Valli said the “sustained assault” had left Ager with bruises on her knees, elbow, and ankle, as well as red marks around her neck.
Since then, Tom Meighan has played a smattering of solo shows, while also working on himself. Vikki and Tom have subsequently married. He has completed 200 hours of community service, completed a course of rehab, has regular therapy, and works with the male suicide charity Andy’s Man Club.
In a note, Tom Meighan says:
“It makes me feel sick every time I think about it. I didn’t recognise myself anymore. I hurt the woman I love. There are no excuses for what happened. I’m deeply ashamed of what I did. Anyone who knows me knows that it’s not in my nature to be violent and it had never happened before. But my failure to address the issues within myself led me to breaking point.”
He adds: “That night, I rightly lost everything: my home, my job, and people around me. I was sacked and shunned. The reality of what I’d done repulsed me. I pleaded guilty straight away to everything. The shock set in. I was shaken to the core. I felt deep, deep shame. I didn’t realise I was unwell, but Vikki saw what I couldn’t. I have never been arrested before, or been in any trouble with the police or anyone. I could not bear the thought that Viks was frightened or that she had been hurt. To this day, I struggle with how I made her feel that night. I will always have to live with that. I went to rehab — I’d tried rehab before, maybe I wasn’t ready for it earlier, but this time it clicked. I got sober. With the support of my family and friends, every day clean and sober is a victory.”
New album ‘The Reckoning’ deals with this process, and the long-standing mental health issues that have plagued his life. Out on April 28th, it will be accompanied by a 20 date UK tour.
Tom Meighan adds:
“It’s hard to express what having the opportunity to make this album means to me. I’ve called it ‘The Reckoning’, because I have had to have a reckoning with myself. I know it’s a cliché to talk about the creative process as catharsis, but this really has been for me. It’s not just music; parts of it are my soul, my life up until now, my old life and my new one. I tried to pour everything in my head into this collection of songs; the highs, the lows, the light and the dark in me. I feel vulnerable and invincible all at once, I hope you get that when you listen to it.”
New single ‘Everyone’s Addicted To Something’ is out now – find it below.
If you – or anyone you know – is experiencing issues related to domestic abuse please contact Refuge or Women’s Aid.