All Hail...

Had Kings of Leon anticipated the success they would have south of the equator they may have opted for a more pertinent name, perhaps Kings of Oz. The Tennessee bred family rockers have had remarkable success in the country of 21 million; selling more copies of their fourth studio album, Only By The Night than in their native US. While Kings of Leon found a mediocre level of success with their first three albums it is their fourth release that has propelled them to a level of superstardom in Australia. Brothers Caleb, Jared and Nathan Followill alongside cousin Matt Followill currently find themselves in the midst of their Australian tour which has them playing eight sold out arena shows across the country. Tonight the boys in Kings of Leon find themselves in Sydney for a third and final night where they will play to yet another sold out venue.

The opening slot of the night was awarded to Canadian indie rockers and close friends of Kings of Leon, The Stills. The Montreal based band had a big job on their hands as they attempted to warm up the then trickling in crowd. The crowd responded favourably as the Stills rocked their way through an above average 45 minute set. As The Stills moved into their last song of the night they thanked Kings of Leon for bringing them along for the ride, undoubtedly hoping that the exposure would help them find their place on Australian radio.

The lights went out on Acer Arena and Kings of Leon were ready to roll. The capacity crowd of 17,215 were a raucous from the moment the band hit the stage to a hair raising rendition of Crawl. Front man Caleb Followills strong vocal abilities were on display from the first note as he powered his way through the first few songs. Followill greeted the audience, “Last time I checked this wasn’t a CD listening session, so get off your asses and let’s party”. With four albums worth of material to work with the party had definitely started. As the set wore on the band treated long time fans to early classics including King of the Rodeo, California Waiting and Molly’s Chambers. While Followill lacked the stage presence that most arena rockers are famous for, he still had no trouble keeping the crowd howling throughout the night. As the night progressed crowd favourites including Revelery and Fans had the arena serenading Kings of Leon as home videos from the bands childhood played on the big screens. “Who wants to sing?,” Followill proclaimed as the band dove head first into unquestionably their biggest hit to date, Sex on Fire. As the 18 song set drew to a close Followill explained to the crowds delight, “We have a lot of people around us who are telling us we should make Australia our new home, and I have to be honest with you, we’re considering it!” And why wouldn’t you. The guys returned to the stage for a four song encore that included, Knocked Up, Manhattan and the shrieky Charmer. Once again the band thanked the crowd profusely as they took a moment to soak up their new found fame.

Finding a place for rock music on today’s bubblegum pop radio stations is no easy task, and after four albums Kings of Leon are finally enjoying a level of success unseen before. While the show lacked the hoopla and budget that Acer Arena had seen 3 days previous during Coldplay’s Viva La Vida tour, Kings of Leon definitely delivered. After an hour and forty five minute set that left the crowd screaming for more one has to assume that their is an new heir to the rock and roll throne. All hail Kings of Leon.