Kasabian have swine flu

Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan was rushed to hospital in Sydney, Australia, earlier this week where he was diagnosed with the potentially-deadly virus.

A day later, his bandmates guitarist Serge Pizzorno, bassist Chris Edwards and drummer Ian Matthews were left bedridden after coming down with the same symptoms.

Doctors have ordered the group to stay in their Sydney hotel rooms until their conditions improve, forcing them to cancel their scheduled Australian concerts.

The band remains hopeful they will fit to perform in Malaysia at the weekend.

It is thought they contracted the virus in Japan, where they were performing last week as part of their current world tour to promote new album 'West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum'.

Serge said: "We're all sick as dogs, man. It's pretty terrible. I am confined to my hotel room and I look out and see the Opera House and the harbour and so want to be out there in it all.

"The doctor says it will take a couple of days and we need to stay in our rooms and chill. But we hope to be rocking and rolling very quickly."

Thankfully, Serge has found a suitably sedate way of passing the time.

He said: "I have discovered the joys of audio books so I am just sitting here and listening to these old dudes read classic books out loud to me."

- Bang! Showbiz