Rodeos And Mechanical Bulls: The Evolution Of Kings Of Leon
Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Written by Natalie Lam
Kings of Leon seemed to emerge fully formed back in 2003 when their debut album, 'Youth & Young Manhood', introduced the world to their throwback ‘60s haircuts, vintage attire and, of course, their intriguing, wonderfully retro sound.
Following their bow their rise was rapid, with the Nashville quartet seemingly becoming a fulcrum in the indie scene. 'Youth & Young Manhood' soared to #3 in the UK album charts, while last year 'Mechanical Bull', charted in top spot. If you’re keeping score, it was their fourth #1 on the bounce.
Kings of Leon headlined the Isle of Wight Festival last weekend, along with a night at Newcastle’s St James’ Park, and their UK and Ireland tour continues with arena shows in Manchester and Glasgow and stops at Milton Keynes Bowl, Swansea's Liberty Stadium and Dublin's Marlay Park.
Here, in the latest edition of 'Evolution', we reflect on the standout moments of their career and the building blocks that have formed Kings of Leon as we know them today.
Red Morning Light
One of the first successful tracks of Kings of Leon's career, Red Morning Light, taken from 'Youth & Young Manhood', attracted a lot of attention thanks to its rich guitar tones and Caleb Followill’s deep, unmistakably rock 'n' roll vocals. The song did the rounds on music TV and also popped up as the entrance theme for FIFA 2004. Score.
King of the Rodeo
This short, but rhythmic, track offered quite a development from the early rumblings of 'Youth & Young Manhood'. The production is significantly less raw, but that distinctive early Kings of Leon sound remained throughout 'Aha Shake Heartbreak'. The Bucket - a top 20 single in the UK - and Taper Jean Girl continued the theme, but ...Rodeo remains a standout.
On Call
The first single released from the band’s third album, 'Because Of The Times', On Call remains one of their defining statements, a ragged pop gem. Its parent album, meanwhile, was the band's first to reach #1 in UK charts despite a number of reviews stating its inferiority when compared with previous releases.
Sex on Fire
Sex on Fire is, without any shadow of a doubt, an indie-pop anthem. The soundtrack to countless dancefloor trysts, the song, along with Use Somebody, helped deliver huge commercial success to 'Only By The Night' and landed at #1 on the UK singles chart, their only chart topper to date.
Radioactive
While ‘Come Around Sundown’ reached #1 in the UK charts, its singles were not as well acknowledged as their predecessors. This one, though, does package up a fantastic summer atmosphere; it’s a track destined to be played under the sun's rays. For the band, though, this was a difficult period. During the tour for this record, Caleb Followill’s drinking took over and at a now infamous Dallas show in 2011, they hit the skids. "I got on a plane and went to New York and was like, 'Fuck them,' you know,” Followill told Rolling Stone two years later. “And, you know, it hurts. It hurt when I heard that, because I've always stood behind them.”
Supersoaker
Supersoaker and 'Mechanical Bull' are a neat distillation of the maturity currently exuded by Kings of Leon. Having completed a short hiatus and regrouped, the resulting album was generally well received and seems to have set the quartet up for an even bigger future as part of rock’s upper echelons. From their origins as scruffy indie newcomers, Kings of Leon are now heirs to the throne that’s belonged to U2 and friends for the last 30 years.
Kings of Leon Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed June 18 2014 - MANCHESTER Phones 4u Arena
Fri June 20 2014 - GLASGOW SSE Hydro
Sun June 22 2014 - MILTON KEYNES National Bowl
Wed July 02 2014 - SWANSEA Liberty Stadium
Fri July 04 2014 - DUBLIN Marlay Park
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