After the divorce of their parents, brothers Nathan and Caleb Followill moved to Nashville, Tennessee where they met songwriter Angelo Petraglia who introduced the pair to the influences of Thin Lizzy, The Rolling Stones and The Clash. In 1999 youngest brother Jared inspired by the Pixies and The Velvet Underground and cousin Matthew also moved to Nashville and Kings of Leon was born.
In 2002 Nathan and Caleb caught the attention of RCA Records who said they would be sending an A&R rep to hear them play. The band kidnapped Matthew from his home and spent a month in the brothers’ basement where they carved out the tracks “Molly’s Chamber”, “California Waiting” and “Wicker Chair”. A year later with Jared still unable to play bass, Kings of Leon released the “Holy Roller Novocaine” EP to critical reviews, receiving a considerable amount of exposure.
Kings of Leon have gone on to be one of the most successful rock bands of the 2000s, fusing their climatic Southern rock and blues influences to increasingly accessible results. The band released their debut “Youth & Young Manhood” in 2003 and subsequently “Aha Shake Heartbreak” in 2004, “Because of the Times” in 2007, “Only by the Night” in 2008, “Come Around Sundown” in 2010 and “Mechanical Bull” in 2013.
The band’s initial success was in the UK with nine Top 40 singles, two BRIT Awards in 2008 and all their five albums peaking in the Top 5 of the UK Albums chart. Following the release of “Only by the Night” in 2008 the band won the hearts of American fans largely helped by the radio-friendly “Sex on Fire”, “Use Somebody” and “Notion”. At the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards the group took home awards for Record of the Year for “Only by the Night”, Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for “Use Somebody”.
Due to the band international success and popularity of “Only by the Night” In 2008 Kings of Leon headlined Glastonbury festival followed by headlining slots at Reading & Leeds, Sasquatch, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits the year after.
Kings of Leon is one of my favorite bands to see live: these guys just tend to have a great time, party, and drink along with the rest of us in the crowd! They have been around for quite a few years and really started taking off in the mid-2000s, but they still know their roots. They are all brothers and cousins so they have a connection all of their own, and Caleb's vocals are like a gateway to let us join in on the family too. They tend to play more arenas and amphitheaters these days since they are so huge, but their sound is perfect for it; these guys rock hard and always leave me walking away satisfied with my ears ringing and a smile on my face. They are another band that don't really rely on visuals and props to supplement their act, they let their instruments and vocals do all of the work, which is all anyone needs.
When you see Kings of Leon live, they don't sound totally like they do on their albums, they sound even better. Everyone can sing along to "Sex on Fire" and "Mary", but their live versions of the songs can be unpredictable and much better to listen to. They mainly play what the crowd wants to hear, basically most of the favorites from the past three albums, but once in a while they will throw in a tune from earlier in their careers. They are always worth seeing when they come around town!
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