The song is nominated for the "Best Track" category at the NME Awards 2018. It was also nominated for "Best Rock/Indie Video" at the UK Music Video Awards 2017.
Background and recording
Speaking about the album recording and in particular the single, Pizzorno in an interview with Q magazine said this of the song "It's a beauty. It's a mad time, with what's been happening – it felt like the world was caving in around me. But I felt that everyone had said enough, like everyone had had their say, so this tune is just pure positive energy. Speaking on the inspiration for the track he said "I went round my mate's house and he's got this [Jeremy Deller-designed] poster and I thought, 'I love that', so I wrote a tune about it, but now I'm finished."[1]
Critical reception
Reception to the single has been mixed to positive. In their review for the album NME was very positive of the track, stating "Best of all is the fabulously corny 'Bless This Acid House', with its lovably naff call-and-response pre-chorus. The greatest song Status Quo never wrote, it's dumb, fun and guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.[2]Drowned in Sound were also positive about the song with Luke Beardsworth saying "'Bless This Acid House' is the best track on the album, despite the name making you wince. It's comfortably the catchiest thing here too, sounds a bit like 'C'est La Vie' by Stereophonics, which itself sounded quite a lot like Bowie. It's the one that should hang around setlists for years to come."[3]
The Quietus in their review of the album by Patrick Clarke was less positive about the track; "'Bless This Acid House' is the record's particular nadir, and the starkest illustration of what's wrong with the new Kasabian album. Shooting for anthemic but landing in some unhappy medium between a limp imitation of Primal Scream's Give Out… and every 'summer anthem' a team of faceless major label songwriters could ever try to conjure."[4]
Music video
The official "Bless This Acid House" video was directed by WIZ and filmed in a flat in London in May 2017. The video was shot in black and white and features the band dressing up as prison inmates, performing in a squat-like setting to a crowd of revelers and punk rockers. It was officially released on 13 June 2017, with an extended "director's cut" version being posted by WIZ the following day.[5]
The video was nominated in the category "Best Rock/Indie Video" UK at the UK Music Video Awards 2017 but lost out to eventual winners Royal Blood with their video for "Lights Out".[6]
It is the band's final video to feature lead vocalist Tom Meighan before his departure in 2020, as neither him nor the rest of the band appeared in the music video for "Ill Ray (The King)", and no video was produced for the album's final single "Comeback Kid".
Track listing
Digital download and streaming
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Bless This Acid House"
3:44
Personnel
Kasabian
Tom Meighan – lead vocals
Sergio Pizzorno – guitar, backing vocals, synthesizers, production
