Kings Of Leon - O2 Arena, London - 1st June 2011 (Live Review)
Monday, 06 June 2011
Written by Jon Stickler
Regarded as one of the planet's best venues, the O2 Arena has hosted a variety of shows from some of the biggest acts in the world. Gone are the grandad shirts, shaggy hair and grizzly beards as a packed-out crowd welcome Tennesee's more fresh-faced, polished Kings of Leon to London.
Emerging out of a menacing red mist, Kings of Leon arrive on stage to a deafening roar from a 20,000 strong crowd. Not bad for a Wednesday night! This being a rescheduled gig after the band's tour bus caught fire back in December last year forcing them to cancel their initial show, Kings of Leon are disappointing nobody tonight as they deliver a set filled with hits from all five of their albums.
Having come a long way since their youth and young manhood, Kings of Leon, consisting of brothers Caleb Followill, Nathan Followill, Jared Followill and cousin Matthew Followill, have been regarded as indie, alternative-rock royalty for a few years now. Their brand of upbeat, southern indie-rock has captivated fans all over the world and, despite taking a bit of flack for their now more mainstream image and sound, there is no denying Kings of Leon are one of the biggest bands in the world today. Their shows now competing with the likes of U2 and Muse.
There is something for everyone at this show. Fans of the band's older, rawer sound captured on albums such as 'Youth and Young Manhood', 'Aha Shake Heartbreak' and 'Because Of The Times' were pleased to hear the band kick-off with 'Four Kicks', 'Taper Jean Girl', 'The Bucket', 'Spiral Starcase' and 'Happy Alone', while less hardened fans, perhaps unfamiliar with Kings of Leon's older (and in my opinion better!) material get to hear the more recent chart-friendly hits such as 'Pyro', 'Radioactive', and of course 'Sex On Fire'.
Each song is received with a roaring cheer before the crowd are entertained by some stunning light and laser displays. Renditions of Kings of Leon's more recent ballads such as 'Revelry', 'Notion' 'Use Somebody' along with new single 'Back Down South' are accompanied by breathtaking visuals on the giant video-screens and brilliant light shows sparking the first sing-a-longs of the evening.
The set littered with hits as Kings of Leon dig deep into their hugely successful five-album back catalogue. Treading the stage boards the Followill's remain fairly static throughout the show with frontman Caleb occasionally pausing in-between songs to thank the crowd for the phenomenal support the band has receieved throughout the years. It isn't long until the band are blasting out yet another hit though as the foursome power through a near two-hour set consisting of twenty-six of the band's top songs. Its hard to believe the band have had so many hits since the release of debut album 'Youth and Young Manhood' only eight years ago.
Next on Kings of Leon's UK jaunt is a headline performance at this year's Isle Of Wight Festival on Friday 10th June. If their performance at London's O2 Arena is anything to go by, the Isle of Wight's 10th birthday bash is sure to get off to a flying start.
Setlist:
1. Four Kicks
2. Taper Jean Girl
3. The Bucket
4. Spiral Staircase
5. Happy Alone
6. The Immortals
7. Revelry
8. Fans
9. Back Down South
10. McFearless
11. No Money
12. Charmer
13. Milk
14. Notion
15. Manhattan
16. Closer
17. Pyro
18. Mary
19. Molly's Chambers
20. Radioactive
21. On Call
22. Use Somebody
23. Trani
Encore:
24. Crawl
25. Sex on Fire
26. Black Thumbnail
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Having come a long way since their youth and young manhood, Kings of Leon, consisting of brothers Caleb Followill, Nathan Followill, Jared Followill and cousin Matthew Followill, have been regarded as indie, alternative-rock royalty for a few years now. Their brand of upbeat, southern indie-rock has captivated fans all over the world and, despite taking a bit of flack for their now more mainstream image and sound, there is no denying Kings of Leon are one of the biggest bands in the world today. Their shows now competing with the likes of U2 and Muse. 
