There’s not an ounce of musical talent between my siblings and I, yet Kings of Leon happen to have three brothers and a cousin more gifted in their index fingers than most people could ever imagine to be.
And on Tuesday night, more than 4,000 miles from home, the Nashville band packed out Manchester’s AO Arena to perform two decades worth of hits to more than 20,000 fans.
The night was kicked off by young Irish rockers Inhaler. Hailing from Dublin, the outfit were tipped for success in 2020 following a BBC Sounds Of poll, and have gone on to release 11 singles.
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The leather-clad twenty-somethings are dangerously cool, effortless and easy listening, so there’s really no wonder Noel Gallagher also hired them as support, and Elton John called them ‘f***ing amazing’.
While frontman Elijah may be Bono’s son, Inhaler are certainly not the next U2, but it’s clear their love of 80s and 90s rock influences their modern take in tracks like the newly released These Are The Days.
American indie legends Kings of Leon opened their set with the title track from their eighth and latest studio album, When You See Yourself, Are You Far Away, followed by The Bandit. Released in 2021, these singles could slip seamlessly into any one of their albums from 2008 onwards. It might have been Only By The Night - the bands fourth album - that skyrocketed them to stardom, but their new music proves the band are showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.
They’re a band that needs no introduction, but Caleb Fallowill does so out of courtesy anyway, calling out “We are Kings of Leon” to a room full of people clutching tickets with their name on.
The band is completely at home on stage. Nathan, wearing a Rolling Stones tee, can be seen blowing huge bubbles of gum from behind his drum kit, making it look as though it takes zero brain power to fuel the beat behind their anthemic tracks.
Slow Night, So Long was followed by the toe-tapping Taper Jean Girl, which was when the seemingly composed crowd started to get a little more lively, with King of the Rodeo rounding them up.
From Manhattan on, we were reminded of just how nostalgic Kings of Leon can make you feel, ploughing through some of their best-known work with Waste A Moment, Radioactive and Find Me, along with a stunning version of On Call.
Kings of Leon aren’t known for their mid-set comedy or chatter, and it likely played its part in the relaxed atmosphere of the audience, however, cutting the small talk meant that the band could go on to perform more than 20 tracks spanning 19 years, including sway-worthy Pyro, Crawl, Milk and their ode to England, Fans.
Addressing the crowd for the longest time throughout the night, it wasn’t lost on Caleb that fans have waited a long time for this show, due to Covid postponements.
He added: “We’ve really enjoyed ourselves on this tour. You’ve been waiting a long time and we couldn’t be happier. Fans have made us the Kings and every time we go back home we’re like ‘America is catching up’ and we come back here and we’re like ‘nope’”.
The Grammy-award winning Use Somebody concluded the set, and it’s quite possible that Caleb’s vocals sound even better with maturity. Much like Pyro, the 2008 single has aged well, and you won’t find a single 90s born Brit that won’t belt it out whenever it’s heard.
Anyone there last night will tell you the sound quality was incredible, with slick staging and a regimentally tight performance - a skill well and truly mastered over the years. Cameras panned between the family members on stage, while lights glitter throughout the audience hanging on their every note.
The encore consisted of Revelry, really making it a ‘night for a dance’ and Aha Shake Heartbreak’s The Bucket from 2004. And it may well be 14 years since Sex of Fire saw the band become a household name across the nation, but it’s still as well received today as it was over a decade ago, and serves as a reminder that Kings of Leon are very much on fire, and have so much still to offer. The Followills dominated Manchester’s AO Arena and I hope, regardless of a seemingly slow start, the fans made them feel like Kings.
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